Smellerbee and Longshot: Our Legend
by avatard101
Summary: The legend of how the dynamic duo came to be and what happens after we last see them in Lake Laogai. First couple of chapters aren't that good, but it gets better if you look past them. Rated T because I'm paranoid. Read please? I'll give you a cookie! :) Final chapter is up!
1. Chapter 1

Silent and Fierce Chapter 1 The warrior crouched on a large tree branch, watching the Fire Nation camp. He pulled out his bow silently. "are you sure we should stop here captain? This forest is rumored to have fierce warrior spirits that live in the trees." The silent warrior smirked. Fierce warrior spirits? Not bad for a bunch of kids living in the trees. The captain turned to the quaking general who was looking around nervously as if someone would jump out of the trees any minute and ambush them. " I don't care about your stupid rumors Chang! If you want to walk 5 miles to the next village by yourself in the middle of the night, be my guest!" Captain Lo snapped. "otherwise, we'll be staying here." chang bowed his head. "of course captain." captain Lo nodded and turned to the rest of the group who snapped to attention. "men, set up camp!" all of the soldiers nodded. "yes sir!" a young looking soldier asked, "and what do we do with the prisoner captain?" The boy froze. A prisoner? That hadn't been in the cards. He leaned forward to hear more about this prisoner. "oh just throw her some turckey duck meat and 'll be fine." the soldier gave a curt nod and rushed off to do what he was told. He followed by the trees, he swung from branch to branch. The soldier came to abrupt stop and so did he. He watched him approach a small girl tied to a tree. She couldnt have been more than 8. She was covered in mud, blood, and burns. Her hair was singed and her clothes were tattered. She flinched as the soldier walked towards her, as if he was going to hit her. Instead he just looked at her with a malicious grin. "Y'know, i bet you would clean up right pretty.." the girl cowered back against the tree as he roughly stroked her cheek. The warrior boiled with rage. He quickly nocked an arrow and shot the soldier down before he could continue. The girl looked around bewildered. Quietly and slowly, as to not scare her, he jumped down. He held a finger to his lips and began to cut the ropes binding her to the tree. When he finally cut through the rope, he looked at her legs. They were shacked to the tree. He pulled out a thin wire and picked the lock. When they fell off, her wrists and ankles were raw from the ropes and chains. When the girl tried to walk she fell from being underfed and dragged along. He gingerly picked her up as to not hurt her. She hid her face in his shoulder. He looked at her and began the long trek home. After a while of silence broken only by occasional bird calls, he asked "What's your name?" she looked up at him with a dirty bloody face and quietly replied, " smellerbee". "Its nice to meet you smellerbee. I'm longshot" the girl gave him a small smile and buried herself in his shoulder again 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 The treehouse was only about a half mile away, so longshot was able to get there within 20 minutes. He pulled the rope and was slowly pulled up. When he got to the top, he gave a quick birdcall to tell the others he was home. There was only about four of them. Jet, their leader, was 13. Sneers, their intel officer, was 11. And last but not least, Pipsqueak, the behemoth with a log, was 15. Longshot was only 10, the youngest. When the others gathered around him, Longshot laid Smellerbee, who was asleep, gently on the floor. Jet's eyes narrowed. "Where did you find her?" he asked. Longshot looked at him. Jet's face hardened but he said nothing. Sneers finally spoke up after a long silence. " Longshot is the only one with medical knowledge so I vote him to take of her." pipsqueak and jet nodded. Longshot picked up the girl and carried her to his hut. He grabbed the bucket of water from the nearby stream and a clean rag. Carefully, he cleaned all the mud and dried blood off of her. When he was done, he got the extra bandages from under his pillow. Turning her head to see if she had any injuries, Longshot noticed a headband. Careful so he wouldn't wake her, he pulled it off, revealing a long burn. Longshot's eyes widened. He quickly got the leaves they used to treat burns. He stuck them in his mouth, chewed, and spit them on his hand, carefully spreading them on the burn. He wrapped a bandage around Smellerbee's head. When he finally finished tending to her wounds it was dinner time. Longshot ran to get two bowls of chicken soup and made his way back to the medical hut. After quickly gulping down the warm liquid, he gently shook Smellerbee awake. Holding the bowl to her chapped lips, Longshot helped her sip the soup. After she was done, Smellerbee sighed, content and leaned back against the wall. She eyed Longshot, who was cleaning up the small hut. " so why is your name Longshot?" Longshot stopped sweeping and took an archer's stance. Smellerbee chuckled. Longshot looked at her questioningly. "my name?" she shrugged. "my dad used to call me smellerbee because he said I was quick like a smellerbee." smellerbee smiled a little sadly. "he was the only family I had. My mother died 2 years ago." her tone changed. " and now the Fire nation killed my father ad burned down my village." she said bitterly, practically spitting out the words. A tear slipped down her angry face. Longshot looked at the girl. He quietly put his arm around Smellerbee. She drew her knees up and sobbed quietly. When the cries faded away, longshot watched her. Smellerbee lifted her head up. Her eyes were red and her face tearstained but determined. " I will avenge my father." she whispered. With that the two looked out the window and watched the indigo twilight. 


	3. Chapter 3

Longshot's eyes flew open. how long had he been asleep? A quick look outside told him it was still about an hour till breakfast. He looked at the girl next to him. Smellerbee's head was on his shoulder, she was still fast asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he slid his arm carefully off her shoulder and leaned her head against the wall. Longshot got up, stretched, and walked outside. The sun was just starting to come up. He watched for a few minutes then went to go wake up Smellerbee. She woke after a few shakes, yawned and stretched. They walked to the huge table right outside the kitchen. Jet and Sneers were already there. Pipsqueak was in the kitchen making breakfast. Jet looked up as they approached. "ah there you guys are." smellerbee raised her eyebrows. Jet smiled. "right. Allow me to introduce myself. My names Jet. And this is-" "sneers. I can introduce myself jet." sneers said glaring at his leader. Jet raise his hands as if to say he was backing off. Longshot looked at Jet. Sneers leaned back. " alright, now what is he saying?" smellerbee spoke up before jet could answer. "he asked what we were having for breakfast." Jet and Sneers looked at her, surprised. "You know what he's saying?" jet asked. Smellerbee nodded. Jet shrugged. "Well alright then. And to answer his question, we're having platypus bear meat." Longshot grinned. While they ate, Snellerbee learned a bit about the Freedom Fighters. All of them were orphans, their parents imprisoned or killed by the Fire Nation. Sneers and Pipsqueak had lived in the same village. Jet had found them on the way to Hai Po, Longshot's village. When they had arrived, the village was in flames and people were fleeing. They had found Longshot hiding in a forest about a mile away. He had refused to speak and was badly burned on both arms and calves. The foursome decided to stay in the forest. They had built huts in the high branches of the trees so they wouldn't be found. "And now, we found you." Jet said. He frowned. "Y'know, I never got your name." "it's smellerbee." Smellerbee replied. Jet nodded and extended his hand. "So, Smellerbee, ready to be a Freedom Fighter?" 


	4. Chapter 4

Smellerbee: 12 Longshot: 14 smellerbee pov I let out a war cry and threw my knife. I smirked as it hit the bullseye I had painted on the tree. I walked over and pulled it out, observing where I hit it. My aim had improved. I craned my neck to see the sky. About 4:30. I did a mental calculation. That gives me enough time to get home and clean up before dinner. I sighed, sheathed my favorite daggers and strapped my katana to my back. I scaled the nearest tree trunk nimbly, leaping from branch to branch. Alot had changed in 4 years. I had become a Freedom Fighter, the only girl too. Our little group had expanded. Where as we used to only have five, including me, we now had about 30 to be exact. 20 more trees. I smirked. I would beat Longshot's record for sure. 10 more. Longshot had set the record for fastest getting home from our little "training" clearing. The time? 40 seconds. 5 trees. If I could get home in the next 10 seconds, I would win. I leaped down and pulled the rope, zipping to the top platform, grinning. Longshot looked up from sharpening arrows. 'what are you so happy about?' he "asked" I leaned against the railing casually. "oh you know, just beat your record. No big deal." longshot shook his head. 'not bad.' I bowed slightly. "Thank you, thank you." we laughed. Jet came up next us. "Hey guys make sure you're on time for dinner. I gotta important announcement." I nodded and mock saluted. "yes sir Captain Jet sir." after that, I ran to my hut. Grabbing a strip of cloth i cleaned my face. I soon heard the birdcall for dinner echo through the trees. As I crossed the bridge to the eating I wondered what the special announcement was. But all thoughts vanished when I saw the table. Sitting in my usual spot next to Longshot, I grabbed a bowl and filled it with boar-q-pine stew. Everyone chattered happily as they ate. All talking subsided as Jet stood up. " Tomorrow, there is a camp coming in. I will take a team of the best Freedom Fighters and we will take them down!" Cheers met this announcement. As he sat back Down, I turned to Longshot, excited. "Did you hear that?! We're going to take down a camp!" longshot smiled at my excitement as he sipped his stew. " Best birthday present ever!" I was turning 13 in 2 days. ' I wouldn't be too sure of that' Longshot "said" mysteriously. 'What's that supposed to mean?' I thought. 'oh nothing.' longshot could clearly see all my thoughts in my face. We had been like that since he had rescued me 4 years ago. We were best friends, but somewhere along the lines I started to like him as more than that. I would never tell him that though. I didn't want to ruin our friendship. When we finished our stew, he walked me back to my hut. 'Bee?' "Yeah longshot?" I asked. 'Don't stay up all night sharpening your swords.' he "said" grinning. I rolled my eyes and gave him a playful shove. "Shut up longshot." he gave me a hug and we did our handshake we had made up and I walked into my hut. I laid out two of my daggers and undressed for bed. Tomorrow was going to be a good day, I could feel it. 


	5. Chapter 5

Longshot pov I got up at sunrise to get ready. I donned my shirt, shawl, and hat. I counted out 20 freshly sharpened arrows and put them in my quiver. I pulled out my favorite bow and stringed it. I heard a movement at my doorway and looked up. Smellerbee was leaning against the doorframe watching me. "Ready?" I nodded my head and we headed to breakfast together. After we ate, jet took our little group- me, Smellerbee, Sneers, Pipsqueak, and the Duke- towards a little clearing. He pointed up and we all climbed a different tree. I looked over at Bee. She was staring intently at the camp, waiting for something to distract them so we could attack. The flecks of golden sunlight coming through the branches made her look beautiful. I shook my head and got a hold of myself. That was weird. to think about a girl who was practically my little sister like that. I followed the other Freedom Fighters lead and watched the opening into the clearing for a chance to attack. I was dozing of when I heard a voice. I sat up quickly and looked at the entrance. "... From the Fire Nation." A tan, tall boy walked trough the bushes with two others. "RUN!" They all dropped the packs and turned to run but a firebender set the brush on fire stopping them. "We're cut off!" the older boy cried. He seemed to be the leader. "Sokka, your shirt!" the pale boy with a blue arrow on his head pointed at the boy called Sokka's sleeve. "AUGH!" The girl in their little trio waterbended out of the small pouch she had at her side and put out the flame. "If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you." I held back a snort. I could tell he was bluffing. "You promise not to hurt us?" the captain scoffed. He fell over suddenly. I smiled. Jet's tranquilizer dart. I directed my attention back to the three kids. "How'd you do that?" the pale boy asked."Uhh, instinct?" Sokka said. "Look!" the girl cried and pointed to Jet. He stood and pulled out his tiger hook swords and jumped down. It wasn't a problem for him to take down the soldiers. "Down you go." He turned and fought off another soldier. "They're in the trees!" one soldier yelled right before the Duke jumped on his shoulder. That was my cue. I loaded two arrows and shot down some soldiers. I flipped upside down and loaded another arrow and shot it. I leaped down to watch Sneers pummel some soldiers. Bee jumped down soon after with her daggers and fought some soldiers of her own. We went on like this until the last of the soldiers ran off. Our leader turned to face the newcomers. "Wow! You just took down a whole army almost singlehandedly!" the arrow kid said with amazement. "army? Psh, there were only like twenty guys!" Sokka said. "My name's Jet and these are my Freedom Fighters. Sneers, Longshot-" I looked up as he said my name-"Smellerbee, the Duke and Pipsqueak." The pale kid laughed. "Pipsqueak. You've gotta funny name!" Pipsqueak looked down at him. "You think my name is funny?" he asked leaning forward. The kid waited a few seconds before answering "It's hilarious!" Pipsqueak looked at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. A few minutes later we started loading up all the goods. The kid had cheerfully introduced himself as Aang and the girl was Katara. The oldest mumbled as he introduced himself. I say and fixed my bow. It had been slightly damaged during the fight. "we'll take this stuff back to the hideout." the Duke said after we had loaded everything. I stood and stretched my back. "You guys have a hideout?" Aang asked excitedly. "You wanna see it?" Jet asked. "Yes we wanna see it!" Katara said immediately. I climbed out and started walking with Smellerbee. We got back to the hideout a little while later. "We're here." Jet said. "Where? There's nothing here." Sokka said. "Hold onto this."Jet handed Sokka a rope. "Why? What's this do?" he had barely gotten the words out when he zipped up to our platform. "Aang?" Jet offered him a rope. "No thanks I'll get up on my own." Aang quickly Airbended himself up. I watched him in wonder. Wow. Jet and Katara quickly followed on their own rope. I pulled my own rope and shot up. I waited for Bee to come up before crossing the wooden bridge with the others. Jet and and Katara were talking when I heard my name. "Longshot over there, his town got burned down by the Fire Nation. And we found the Duke trying to steal our food. I dont think he ever really had a homes." Jet said quietly. "And what about you?" Katara asked almost reverently. They stopped to talk as we continued on. "Hey Longshot!" I looked up as Bee called me. 'What?' I asked. "Wanna play a game of Pai Shoa?" she asked me.I shrugged. 'Sure why not.' 


	6. Chapter 6

Smellerbee pov "Today we struck another blow against the Fire Nation swine."I cheered as Jet said this. "I got a special joy from the look on one soldier's face when the Duke dropped down on his helmet an rode him like a wild hog monkey!" The Duke jumped onto the table basking in the laughter that followed. I grinned. He was like a little brother to me. I had found the Duke trying to steal some food. I also kept Jet from throwing him out. The Duke sat down. "Now the Fire Nation thinks thy dont have to worry about a couple of kids hiding in the trees. Maybe they're right." I narrowed my eyes and booed. "Or maybe they're dead wrong." Jet said with a fierce look on his face. I smiled. Now that's more like it. I ate the rest of my meal and stood up to leave. Jet stopped me. "Hey I need you to help with a scouting mission tomorrow." I nodded. "Thanks bee." jet ruffled my hair and walked off. I frowned and smoothed my hair down. Longshot came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. I turned to face him. "what?" he raised his eyebrows. "It's nothing longshot. Just a scouting mission don't worry about it." Longshot looked at me. 'Bee, I know when you're lying. What's wrong?' i looked into his dark eyes. I considered telling him about te bad feeling I had about this mission. Instead I shoved him away. "It's nothing Longshot. Leave it alone." I stalked off to my hut. I couldn't sleep that night. I almost went to Longshot's hut, he could always help me sleep, but I didn't. I finally fell asleep but it was a restless one. By the time the sun came up I was exhausted. I did my best at hiding it at breAkfast. Of course Longshot noticed but he didn't bother me about it. me, Pipsqueak, Jet, and Sokka headed out. We all picked trees to hide in and went up for watch. Before long I heard Jet's birdcall. I quickly replied. He "tweeted" back. I scanned the ground looking for our target. There! I saw him. I frowned. He was harmless. An old traveler. Jet had already jumped down though. Too late now. I jumped down too. I had missed part of what Jet had said to the man but I caught the last bit. "Do you like destroying families? Do you like destroying towns?" Jet yelled angrily. "Please have mercy.." the man pleaded weakly. "Does the Fire Nation let people go, does the Fire Nation have mercy?" Jet pulled his foot back and I winced. Sokka reached and caught his foot though. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Jet he's just an old man!" Sokka tried to reason with our leader. "He's Fire Nation, search him!" jet barked at us. I obeyed reluctantly. "I'm sorry." I whispere to the man. The older man looked at me sadly. I turned away. "we got his stuff Jet!" I said holding a bag. "let's go." Jet said stalking off. I followed dutifully. "c'mon Sokka!" Sokka scurried after us. I remembered the look on the mans face and knew Longshot would've had sympathy and silently would've convinced Jet to let him go. I hung my head in shame. I was a coward. 


	7. Chapter 7

Longshot pov I frowned. Smeller bee had just gotten back from her "mission" and had told me what had happened. She looked ashamed when she finished. I tilted her chin up to where she was looking straight at me. 'There is nothing to be ashamed of. Bee, you are amazing and kind and I know you didn't want to do that. But it's in the past now, no need to dwell on it.' Bee smiled a little sadly. "Thanks Longshot. Now lets go eat before Pipsqueak and Sneers consume dinner!" I grinned. She was back to normal. Bee stood up an stretched. She yawned. I looked at her closely.  
'Bee, did you get any sleep last night?' I asked sternly. She shook her head sheepishly. I sighed. 'Nightmares?' She nodded. 'Why don't you sleep with me tonight?' I asked kindly. Bee had nightmares about her father and village a lot. Some of her days as a prisoner probably came back too. Bee nodded.  
We walked to dinner and ate quickly. When we got up to leave though, Jet stopped us. "I have a plan. We're leaving at midnight." And with that he walked off. Smeller bee groaned. "Another sleepless night. Great." I put my arm around her shoulder and grinned. 'When we're done with whatever Jets doing, I promise we can take a really long nap.' Bee laughed. "Very long." 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 SB pov We had sat inside my hut and talked until midnight. Me and Longshot slid down the ropes with ease and waited for the others. They soon followed. We walked quietly to the dam, Jet leading us. When we got there he explained his plan to us. "Now don't blow the dam until I give the signal. Got it?" Longshot nodded. I noticed movement in the bushes behind us as nudged Pipsqueak. I nodded silently to the bushes and we snuck back to the shrubs.  
Pipsqueak grabbed sokka by his hair and held him there while I put my dagger to his throat. "Where d'ya think you're going, Ponytail?"  
We dragged sokka in front of jet. "Sokka, how good of you to join us." We threw sokka on the ground. "I heard your plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom town." Sokka said. I hung my head. A favorite saying of my father's echoed in my mind.  
"Don't sink down to your enemy's level and think yourself above them." I focused on what Jet was saying again. "Take him for a walk. A long one." I grabbed Sokka's arm and tie his hands together before me and Pipsqueak led him into the forest.  
"Come on, move along." I said absently, pushing Sokka to make him go faster. I had kinda zoned out when I saw sokka running away. "Hey!" I said and ran after him. Suddenly , I was suspended in a trap. Great. "While you're up there, you might want to practice your knot making skills." Sokka said tauntingly before running off, probably to stop Jet.  
"Hey Smellerbee, are you going to eat your leechi nuts?" Pipsqueak asked. I answered by throwing them at him.  
- split- Longshot pov After we had finished unloading all the blasting jelly, I climbed a tree that overlooked my target perfectly. I waited a little bit before I did the birdcall to Jet, asking him if it was time. I waited a second before hearing the OK. I lit the arrow and loaded. I drew back and fired. The arrow flew for a moment then sailed down.  
BOOM! The arrow had hit its mark. I turned away as the dam exploded and the water rushed towards the village. Climbing down from my tree, I saw Appa. I watched for a moment as the Avatar and his friends flew off. We would probably never see them again. I started for the other side of the reservoir. At least me and Bee could get some sleep. I snorted. Like I could sleep tonight. "Help!" I climbed on shore and sat still. "Help! I'm stuck." I shook my head and jogged towards the sound of the cries. I found Jet frozen to a tree. I would've laughed if he hadnt looked at me with dagger eyes. I pulled out the dagger Bee had given me and pried him loose. He nodded his thanks to me and we started walking. "He told me I was a traitor." Jet said quietly. I looked at him. 'Who?' I asked. "Sokka. He said I was a traitor when I stopped helping innocent people. That really struck home." I just looked ahead. "Maybe he's right." I stopped. Jet? Admitting someone was right? This was one weird day 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Smellerbee pov I pulled out my dagger and reached my slender arm through the metal bars. Pipsqueak had fallen asleep, the big lug. I started to saw at the rope. Probably wouldn't be the softest landing, but it would get me down. I was halfway through the rope. I tried to saw faster. I heard a snap and then I was falling.  
THUD! I hit the ground. I groaned. Ow. I pulled the bars open to the trap and climbed out. I groaned again and rubbed my backside. That would be sore in the morning. I picked up a rock and threw it at Pipsqueak to wake him up. He barely moved. I rolled my eyes. I was walking over to the rope pulley to let him down when Jet and Longshot walked into the clearing. I guess they had heard my fall. "Sure, now you two show up." I grumbled. "Help me lower down Pipsqueak." They ran over to help me. After we lowered him down I walked over to his trap and have him a good, solid smack to the head. He woke up that time. "C'mon Pipsqueak, let's head back to camp." He grunted and pulled his cage open. We all started walking back. I must've done something to my ankle when I had fallen. It hurt when I walked. Longshot noticed me limping. He raised his eyebrows. "What?" I asked trying to ignore the pain. 'You're hurt Bee.' "No I'm not Longshot." 'Then why are you limping?' I frowned. "I'm fine." 'No you're not Smellerbee.' He picked me up bridal style. "Longshot!" Longshot looked at me. 'What?' I gritted my teeth. "Put me down now." Longshot kept walking like he hadn't heard me. I tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but all those years of shooting arrows had made him strong. I eventually gave up and let him carry me. 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Longshot pov It was getting dark when we got back to camp. Smellerbee had fallen asleep on my arms. I hated to wake her when she looked so peaceful. I shook her awake. "Mm?" She groaned. I held her with one arm and pulled the rope. Bee was awake now. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and yawned. 'Lets go bee, it's time to eat.' I motioned towards the dining hall. She nodded and we walked in silence. Everyone looked at us expectantly as we trudged in. I just grabbed two hog monkey legs and gave one to Bee as we sat down. Jet stood up. "I've been thinking a lot. And I think we need to change. We stopped trying to help innocent people and just focused on wiping out the Fire Nation. The Freedom Fighters need a fresh start. That's why all of you came here. But we've sank down to their level by putting innocent people in harms way. I need some time to think. If you need me, I'll be in my hut." He walked off.  
I bit into my hog monkey leg. I turned to Bee to "say" something, but she was gone. I put down my meat and went to find her. She was sitting on the platform dangling her legs over the side. I sat down next to her. 'Bee?' "Why did you save me?" I looked at her, surprised. 'Why did I save you?' I thought for a moment before answering. "I felt like I had been almost assigned to watch that specific camp. I didn't even know you were there until they said something. But when I saw you, it was like something was telling me to rescue you. And it made me mad that that soldier was messing with you." Bee laughed. I grinned. "Longshot?" 'Hm?' "Why don't you talk a lot? I mean, you'll say something every once in a while, like just now, but otherwise, nothing." 'When the Fire Nation burnt down my village, they felt like killing that day I guess. They didn't take any prisoners. They sorted us by family. Then, they made the mother and children watch as the father was burned alive. Then they made the children watch as their mother was incinerated too. They were about to kill me, but somehow I got away. I got burned on my arms, but I had also inhaled a lot of ash and smoke. So at first I only talked when necessary, it hurt too much to talk other wise. Now, I just don't want to talk a lot.' Bee looked shocked when I finished. "Im sorry Longshot. I didn't know about them killing everyone." I smiled sadly. 'Its ok Bee.' She laid her head on my shoulder and I put my arm around her.  



	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Smellerbee pov We sat there for a few minutes before I jumped up. "C'mon, let's go eat." Longshot got up and we walked back together. When we were done eating, we went to our huts. I put on my sleeping shirt and put my armor right next to the bed. I took a rag and cleaned off the red warrior paint on my cheeks. I washed my hair and dried it. Longshot walked in, hands behind his back. I looked at him and asked, "What are you hiding?" Longshot grinned and pulled out a box. I raised my eyebrow he handed it to me. I took it suspiciously. Pulling off the twine that held the top on, I opened the box and gasped. Inside was a brand new dagger. I pulled it out. The moonlight shined on the silver blade. "Thanks Longshot!" I hugged him. He smiled sheepishly and blushed slightly. 'Close your eyes Bee.' "Why?" I asked. 'Just do it.' I obeyed and closed my eyes. A few seconds later I felt a pressure on my lips. Confused, I opened my eyes and saw it was Longshot! My best friend was kissing me?! I pulled away. He blushed a deep red and looked away. 'Sorry.' I felt my lips. Longshot looked back towards me. We looked at each other for a moment before leaning forward. I closed off the distance and put my lips on his. He seemed surprised but didn't pull away like I did. After a moment. I realized what we wre doing and pulled away. Now both of us were blushing. "Uh, so, I, uh.. gtta go sleep. Y'know it's getting late, and um, so yeah. Night!". and with that I ran away.  
I couldn't sleep that night. When i did doze off i dreamed of Longshot. Finally, i got tired of it. I got up and crept towards Longshot's hut. I pulled the curtain aside and saw Longshot sitting on his bed. He loooked up when the moonlight poured into his room. "Longshot?" He raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, Bee?" I felt like a little kid. "I, uh, couldn't sleep." Longshot grinned as I walked in. I sat next to him on the bed. He put his arms around me and I gladly leaned into them. We just sat there, two best friends, no talking needed. 


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Ok, I know that this chapter is just an author's note, sorry! I'm trying to decide whether or not to continue this story. If I should, tell me in the reviews. If you have any tips too, tell me. I"m trying to balance everything out, and I'm juggling school, homework, church, and helping my mom out at work, so it's just hard trying to write and post in all of that. So just tell me if I should write on, or quit. Thanks guys! -Avatard101 


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Ok, I'm back! :) Thanks for being patient guys! Shout out too: sunflower13! Thanks for encouraging me every chapter! Thanks to everyone that didn't give up on me! So here you go! As a late Christmas present/ early New Year's present, The new chapter! This one's a bit of a tear jerker..

Smoke. Fire. Heat. I dreamt about my village that night. I saw the look of terror on my mothers face as my father burned. The sickly-sweet smell of burning flesh fills the air and burns my nostrils. I can feel the heat lunging towards me from the flames. I jolt awake. I'm not dreaming. The forest is on fire.  
I look around for Bee, but she's already gone. Cursing under my breath, I pull on my hat and tunic and grab my bow and arrows. I grab a branch and swing to the next platform. Sneers is making sure all the smaller Freedom Fighters are getting out. People are throwing down provisions to Pipsqueak, whose by the wagon with Duke. I rush to the armory and find Bee shoving weapons and armor into a large bag. I ask silently if she needs help and she responds with a curt shake of the head. I nimbly run to Jet's office, dodging falling tree branches. I find him pulling together a bag full of maps and such I help him for a moment until he's finished.  
The smoke is heavier now, like a black and grey curtain falling in top of us. I make one quick round to make sure everybody's done and getting out. When we're all on the ground, me and Jet make a quick head count. 33, 34,35... We're one short. I look frantically for Smellerbee's shaggy mop of hair, but I don't see it. I shoot a look at Jet and he nods.  
I go back up to find her. I run to the armory, but she's not there. I search for her desperately, but I don't see her. My eyes are starting to water from the smoke and I pull my tunic up to breathe. I start to jog towards her hut and I almost step on her. She's almost unconscious, but still hanging on. A large tree branch had pinned her, her back to me. "Bee!" Her eyes flutter open and she smiles weakly. "Hey Shot-man. Guess I did need your help after all." I make a quick deduction. I'm gonna need some help. I rush to the open platform and yell for Pipsqueak. The giant comes up fast and I motion for him to breath through his shirt, like me. I point in the direction of Bee and he lumbers over with me. I grab on side of the branch carefully and Pipsqueak does the same. On three, we lift it up and throw it away. Smellerbee's unconscious. I carefully pick her up grimacing at the large blood stain on the back of her shirt. I carry her, back up. Branches creak and the platforms groan under us. I pull the rope and go down to the small group below. All the others had left but Jet, The Duke, and Sneers had stayed behind. Sneers looks sick and The Duke looks away. Jet looks on with a grim face, trying not to break down. I know Bee is like a sister to him. Jet finally looks at me as we start walking away. His eyebrow raised his eyes ask the question he couldn't bare to say aloud. Dead? I don't answer. I look back to my home. My refuge. The one place I could run to. And now.. I turn around and don't look back. Never look back. Don't turn back. I look down at Bee. Don't turn back.

A/N: AHAHA! Cliffie! sort of.. I know I'm evil! But worry not fine readers! For I will return soon! With another! :) 


	14. Chapter 14

I awoke to a gentle shaking. I felt weird... I looked down to see i was wearing a white dress that flowed down to my ankles. I looked up and saw a woman whose face I didn't recognize. She had kind, warm brown eyes like Longshot... LONGSHOT! I shot up and looked for his familiar face. I didn't see him. What I did see was a group of four people watching me. Tentatively, I spoke. "Where am I?" A man standing next to the nice lady that had woken me up smiled softly and replied, "You're in the Spirit World."

I was on my feet now. "Spirit World? I'm only thirteen! I can't be here! There's no way!" I looked for something to take my anger out on. Preferably a wall to kick. I stood, clenching and unclenching my fists, trying to calm down. "How did I get here? Where is Longshot?" The man paused for a moment then spoke, "There was a fire," He held up his hand to make sure I stayed quiet. My mouth was already open, ready to pour out a torrent of questions. I closed it. The man continued. "Everyone is fine. Except you. A rather large tree branch fell on you and you were badly injured." I could feel myself tearing up, but I quickly blinked them away.

"So what's going to happen to me now?" I asked, my voice small. "You will go back," a voice boomed. There was a flash of light, and then Avatar Roku stood before me. I bowed. "Stand, child." he said kindly. "It is not yet your time. You still have things to do. You will stay for a small amount of time here though. While you're here, I beleive Akami and Daichi wish to speak with you." He nodded towards the couple. I walked over to them. The woman, Akami, smiled at me. "Hello Bao Yu." I looked at her questioningly. "How do you know my name?" The man, Daichi, chuckled. "I beleive our son is quite close to you, so we know quite a bit about you." I felt my eyes widening. "You're Longshot's parents?" Akami nodded. "We were hoping that you could give Isamu a message for us?" I nodded. "Of course." They both smiled, a bit wistful and sad. "Tell him we love him and we are always watching over him. The same goes for you, Bao Yu."

"Bao Yu." I turned to see a man beckoning me over. I bowed to Isamu's parents and walked toward the strange man. "Hello. I am Lu Ten." He smiled and bowed to me. "I wish to tell you that your thoughts are wrong." I looked at him. What thoughts? He laughed. "Not all firebenders are bad, Bao Yu. Don't let yourself believe that." I frowned. "Then what about the firebenders that raided my home? The ones that killed my father?" Lu Ten sighed. "I am sorry that happened to you, but those were men caught up in the darkness. They are a shame to the Fire Nation." I nodded and my scowl disappeared. "Thank you Lu Ten. I'll remember that."

Avatar Roku cleared his throat behind me. I turned. "It is time." I nodded and said my goodbyes to everyone. I followed Roku towhat looked like a portal. "Before you go, just remember. Your spirit will be quite a ways from the camp, so you'll have to figure out where your friends are." I bowed and gave him my thanks. I walked towards the portal and hesitated. "Do you think... I don't know... Maybe, I could see my dad?" I said hopefully. Avatar Roku shook his head gravely. "I'm sorry, but if you don't leave soon, you won't ever be able to leave." I nodded understandingly and started towards the portal again. "Oh and Smellerbee?" I turned. "Be sure to keep Lonshot around. You'll need him in the future." Roku said, a twinkle in his eye. I didn't have time to ponder what that meant, because as soon as he said those words, I was sucked into the portal and landed a few feet away from the smoldering remains of our treehouse.

I sighed and looked for tracks. Sure enough, I saw everybody's tracks and followed them. A few minutes later, I came across the camp. I stopped for a minute, chuckling to myself. The Duke was out cold, snoring louder than anything. Pipsqueak was asleep against a tree, Sneers was on the ground, droo leaking out of his mouth. Jet had an almost peaceful expression on his face as he slept. The only person not sleeping was Longshot. He was sitting crosslegged next to my body, stroking my hair. Occasionally, he'd murmur my name, almost pleading with me to wake up. "Smellerbee, c'mon." I looked at myself. My back was bandaged heavily and I had cuts and bruises all over me, with a nasty looking black eye. I crept closer about to slip back into my body when I heard Longshot let out a choked sob. I looked over at him. He had tears running down his face, streaming over a few bruises. "Bao Yu, please wake up." My heart broke. I went back into my body, all intentions to wake up, but my eyelids felt heavy. I couldn't open my eyes and pain raged like a fire through my whole body. I had to remember.. to tell.. Longshot.. But I was so tired.. I would tell him in the morning. That was my last thought before slipping into a deep sleep.

-Split to Jet's POV-

I watched Longshot. He thought everybody was asleep, but I had stayed awake to keep an eye on him. Bee was like a sister to me, so of course I was worried. But Longshot.. She was everything to him. Longshot must feel like someone ripped his heart out. Bee was his life. I watched him plead with her to wake up. The closest she came to waking up was whimpering in fear and moving her arms around. Nightmare. Longshot's face contorted in pain as he tried to comfort her before she fell back to sleep, still whimpering. I silently prayed. To who, I don't know. I just prayed she would be ok.

A/N: I scared you guys didn't I? :D Don't worry, Bee's okay! Sort of.. Any way for those curious few who are wondering.. Akami (longshot's mom) means "bright and beautiful" in Japanese. Daichi (Longshot's dad) means "great wisdom" Isamu (longshot) means "courage, bravery" Bao Yu means "precious jade". Next chapter will be better, I swear. :) Hope you liked! I'm setting my review goal at... 5 reveiws for this chapter? yeah? :) Also! I'm changing Longshot to be 15! 


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I know I said five reviews, but the plot bunnies were attacking! :) S/O to Godskeybladewarrior! Thanks for helping me with ideas and other such things! Love ya cuz! Anyway, onto the story, this ones more of a filler, telling what happened while Bee was in the Spirit World from Longshot's point of view.

When we had finally gotten to camp, I placed Bee on the sleeping pallet Jet had up for her. Someone handed me a box full of bandages and a canteen of water. They all backed away, finding some task to busy them while I cleaned out her wounds and bandaged them. I started with her legs, figuring it was best if I worked my way up. Gently, I rolled her pants up to the knee. I cleaned the more nasty cuts and wrapped them with bandages. I was about to roll her pants back down when I saw blood trickling down her right calf. Inwardly groaning, I looked at Jet as if to tell him what I needed to do. He nodded and went to help Sneers find firewood. I groaned inwardly and, best I could, slipped Bee's pants of. At least she was wearing wrapping. I winced at the angy red gash on her thigh, right above her knee. The metallic smell of blood filled the air as I worked on it. I sighed as I bandaged Bee up. She sure knew how to get herself in some trouble. I smiled a bit. She was not going to be happy when she woke up.

After I finished on her legs and put her pants back on, I moved up to her chest and back. Joy. I chuckled. Bee was REALLY going to kill me if she finds out what happens while she was out. I gingerly lifted her shirt up and off. The blood was seeping on to her chest wrappings from her burn. The burn, to say the least, was bad. It stretched from her upper back to the bottom of her ribcage. It oozed blood and bits of tree bark and leaves were in it. I did my best to pick them out before I started cleaning. I poured water on the burn carefully. When I was sure it wa clean, I icked up the roll of bandages and started wrapping. Jet was back from picking up firewood and helped turn Bee to where I could wrap her back more easily. When we finished, it was dark and Pipsqueak started a fire. I pulled off my red shawl and placed it over Bee. Jet and the Duke had gotten some turkeyducks and Pipsqueak roasted them. I wasn't hungry.

I stayed awake all night. I knew if I fell asleep, I would never forgive myself. Instead I stroked Bee's hair, occasionally murmuring her name. After a few hours, a terrible thought occurred to me. What if Bee never woke up? I choked up. I tried to think how my life would be without her. I couldn't. "Bao Yu, please wake up." I pleaded, using Bee's real name. No response. A few tears ran down my face and I quickly wiped them away. I had to be strong. For Bee.

A few minutes later, Bee started whimpering. I leaned forward. Her arm started thrashing and I knew what was happening. Nightmare. After a few minutes, the cries faded away to whimpers and Bee fell back into her deep sleep. I played with the ends of her short hair. I remember when she had cut it off...

- 4 years earlier-

We had been picking apples from the tree right outside the fort. She had climbed up to get the ones from the taller brances. Bee tossed them down to me andI put them in the sack we had brought. It was one of those moments where you feel you could go on like this forever and be perfectly happy. Smeller bee had seen some apples on a small branch. I warned her to be careful but she just rolled her eyes and brushed me off, as usual. The first two she had gotten with ease. The third one.. Bee had slipped and fallen. She shrieked as she fell. I ran to the place where she would fall, ready to catch her, but she never did. Her hair had caught in a branch and she was now trying to untangle it. When she finally managed to get it untangled, she had fallen another couple of yards or so into my arms. She was scowling as she got up. "I hate my hair Longshot." she had said to me. I had just looked up at her, a bit amused. Bee had grabbed one of her daggers and cut her hair, her long, beautiful hair, off. Piles of the brown silky stuff was lying around her on the ground. When she had finished, she looked completely different. Bee's hair had almost been down to her waist and now it barely brushed her shoulders. I looked at her. She shrugged and said something about hair being annoying. Bee had kept her hair short ever since.

When the sun rose, I was still up and waiting restlessly by Bee's side in case she woke up. When the bushes rustled behind me, I had grabbed my bow and arrow and whirled around to face the intruder. He held his hands up in surrender. I kept the arrow trained on him, just in case he had any tricks planned. 'Who are you?' After a minute I realized he couldn't understand me, so I spoke again. "Who are you?" He swallowed and looked around nervously. "Who. Are. You?" I asked again, a bit more demanding. "My n-name is Ke-Kentai. Now could you stop pointing that thing at me?" I lowered my arrow ever so slightly. Who was this guy?

A/N: Who do you think he is? Review with your guesses and all will be revealed in the next chapter... Happy New Year's! What's your resolution? Mine's to finish this story by summer. Possibly start a new one... Who knows? If I'm gone for a while, don't be mad at me! I have to go back to school in a few days so, yeah :/ New teacher too. Rawr. Anyway, till next ime by little duckies! Ok never saying that again... :)  



	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hello, my little readers :) Sorry I haven't updated in so long! School started back up again and it's total crap. -_- I hate school. Alot. Anyway, sorry this chapter is so short, didn't have much, but I promise the next one will be better. Read on!

Pain. That's all I could feel. Pain shooting through my body. Not as bad as before but still extremely painful. My eyelids weren't so heavy. I tried opening my eyes and I could. Colors blurred together for a moment or two before clearing. Longshot's face came into view. There was someone else. He seemed vaguely familiar but I couldn't place him. The man was talking to Longshot pleadingly. I tried to sit up, but the pain was so great I almost lost consciousness.

I must have made a noise or something because suddenly, Longshot was by my side, helping me into as comfortable position as possible.'Where does it hurt?' "My head and my back." I managed to croak out. He nods and runs to get something. The stranger stares at me. I look away uncomfortably. Longshot reappears with a canteen, leaves, what I think is medicine, and Jet. Jet shoots a glare at the man then looks at me with concern.

"Are you ok?" he asks. I take a swig form the canteen that Longshot hands me. I look at him. "Well lets see, I got burned, was half dead, and feel like crap. So, yeah I'm fine." I say sarcastically. Longshot hides a grin beneath his hat. Jet smiles a bit. "Yep, she's back." I grin and swallow the bitter medicine with a face. It does ease the pain though. Longshot looks at Jet and he nods. Jet motions for the stranger to leave and they disappear behind some trees.

Longshot looks at me apologetically. I realize what he has to do and groan. I roll over carefully. Longshot gently rolls up my shirt. I flinch as Longshot cuts off my blood soaked bandages. He murmurs a soft apology. I hear him chewing the leaves and he carefully spreads them over my burn. I chuckle a little. "Deja vu." Longshot silently questions me. "Remember all those years ago? When you first found me? I had that horrible burn on my forehead. We had to change the bandages for days." Longshot smiles with me. He finishes the bandages and pulls my shirt back down. I roll back over with his help.

"So who's the stranger?" Longshot pauses. 'He showed up yesterday. You were still out cold. Asked for a place to stay.' I raised my eyebrow. "Strange." Longshot shrugged. 'Jet thought so too, but we can't just turn him away.' I was going to say something else, but Jet and the man walked back into the clearing. "I guess I should introduce you two. Kentai, Smellerbee. Smellerbee, Kentai." Kentai nodded towards me and I did the same.

"Smellerbee, do you think you could walk?" Jet asked. He obviously wanted to keep moving. "I don't know." I tried to get up, but I stumbled. Longshot caught me and helped me stand. "I can walk but probably not for long." I said grimly. "That's fine. We just need to start moving. Pipsqueak, Sneers, and The Duke all went to help the little ones find homes. It's just us now." Jet said. A prick of sadness hit me. I didn't know if I would ever see them again. I shook it off. "Longshot, come help me with the bags."

Longshot and Jet headed to where all the stuff was, leaving me alone with the man. Again. "So, are you a refugee?" I asked, trying to make small talk. "Yes. Some firebenders burned my village. A few of us were taken prisoner. I managed to escape." Kentai said, almost monotone. It sounded rehearsed. I looked for the twinge of sadness or guilt in his eyes that most refugee have, but they lacked emotion. Weird. Longshot and Jet came back with the bags. Kentai grabbed the bags from Longshot so he could help me up and we were off.

A/N; So, what did you think?! Who do you guys think Kentai is, really? I mean, he's weird right ;) If y'all were paying attention the WHOLE story, you might have it. Not likely though. Review your guesses and some will be revealed in the next chapter :) 


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: So this chapter is a bit fluffy, but has some action towards the end. READ ON!

The sun was just fading when we stopped to make camp. I had tried to get Jet to stop earlier so Bee could rest, but he just brushed me off. Bee had refused to let me carry her the last half mile, saying that she was fine. But when we stopped, her face was drained of all color, and her limp was more pronounced. I immediately helped her sit against a tree trunk. I handed her the canteen. 'Drink some water, it'll make you feel better.' Smellerbee shot me a 'I don't need special treatment look'. I pushed the canteen towards her again. 'Drink the water Bee.' She glared at me. I gave her a stern look. Bee rolled her eyes and took a quick sip and handed me the canteen. "There. I took a drink." She said, folding her arms and giving me a defiant look. "Now, you drink some. You need it more than I do."

I almost started to argue, but I knew it wouldn't get me anywhere, so I took a swig of the water and gave it back to Smellerbee. 'I took a drink. Happy?' I walked off to help Jet set up the tents. 'So where's Kentai?' I questioned, hammering the first stake into the ground. "I sent him to go get firewood, seemed like the only thing he would know how to do." Jet replied with a smirk, pulling the canvas toward him. We finished the tents in silence. Straightening up, Jet spoke. "Two tents. So Bee and Kentai could share one and me and you can share one." I shot him a look. 'There's no way I'm leaving her alone with that guy.' "I was just kidding. Jeez, if looks could kill." I chuckled a bit. Kentai walked up to us, his arms full of twigs and branches and various assortments of other woods. "So how do we start a fire?" he asked. Me and Jet shared a look, and I'm pretty sure I could hear Bee laughing. "Here, let me do it." Jet said,reaching for the wood.

I grabbed my quiver from where I had placed it by Bee. She shot me a questioning look. 'I'm going to go get some food.' I answered. "Be careful." I nodded and ruffled her hair. 'Aren't I always?' I walked into the dense forest, feeling completely at home. I scaled a tree and sat completely still, watching for some animal to cross in front of me. I thought back to Bee while I waited. How scared I had been when I saw her lying under that branch. Bee. My feelings for her had definitely grown from best friends in the past year or so. I didn't know she felt about me though. I"m pretty sure I was still stuck in the friend zone. The only time she had reall shown those kinds of feelings towards me was when we had kissed on her birthday. It had just felt... right. Her lips against mine. I was so lost in thought I almost didn't see the fat turkeyducks wander through my tiny clearing. I shot them easily and leapt down to collect my prize.

I easily carried the two turckeyducks back to camp. Jet had started a good fire and the warmth was welcome in the cool night. Autumn nights in the Earth Kingdom weren't usually this cold, but some of the arctic wind of the Water Tribe had carried up this way. After our bellies were filled with the juicy meat of roasted turkeyduck, we could feel the exhaustion of the long walk catching up with us. I helped Bee to our tent and spread out the blankets on the hard earth. Bee turned her back towards me and I untied her chest plate. She took off the rest of her armor as I untied my hat and slid off my shawl. When we were done, I helped her lay down and we curled up together. It was for warmth I kept telling myself. Just for warmth. But it was nice, Bee's back against my bare chest, our brething even, my hands around her waist. I drifted off to sleep slowly.

My eyes flew open a few hours later. The sun hadn't even risen yet. What woke me up? I shook it off and tried to go back to sleep when I heard a noise. A light flickered outside. Sounds of a scuffle floated into the tent. Smellerbee moaned and shifted in her sleep. I carefully unwrapped my hands from her tiny waist and pulled on my tunic. I crept outside slowly. THe light was gone, the night silent again. Something wasn't right. I walked to Jet's tent and lifted the flap. Jet's shirt and armor were still on the ground, but where was Jet? Kentai was gone. too. I narrowed my eyes. here were they? I pulled my head out of the tent and felt the cold metal of a blade against my neck. A hand covered my mouth so I wouldn't cry out. Bee stood in front of me, still in her chest wrappings and shorts. A gag was placed in her mouth and her hands were bound behind her back. Someone pushed her onto her knees from behind. Her cry of pain was muffled by the gag and some tears streamed down her cheeks.

The hand uncovered my mouth and cloth was stuffed into my mouth to replace it. My arms were grabbed and my wrists bound. I was walked by Bee and pushed to the ground beside her. I looked at her. 'Are you ok?' She nodded. A man came into view in front of us. By the look on Bee's face she recognised him. Who was he? I looked closer. A scar that looked like it was courtesy of a knife ran from his right eye to about halway down his cheek. His hair was short and dark brown. He was wearing a Fire Nation captain's uniform. My eyes widened as I recognized him. The captain from when I rescued Bee those years ago. I struggled against my bonds.

The captain chuckled. "You're not getting out of those boy." He started walking closer. "You know, getting your leader was so easy. You two weren't much trouble either. Is this what has happened to the mighty Freedom Fighters? I expected more of a fight." A look of disappointment flitted across his face before he shrugged. "Oh, well. Do you want to know how I got him? Your leader? Your oh-so-precious role model?!" He said. Starting to pace, he smirked at me and Bee. "You see, I figured you couldn't resist a poor refgee such as yourselves. That's why sending Chan, or as you know him Kentai, disguised as a "helpless refugee with nowhere to go"- those were the words Kent-Chan, had said to me when he had showe up to our camp-"was so easy!"The captain laughed. "Y'know, when I started I was just going to get the leader of your little group, but now.. Your little friend here has grown into a beauty. I can think of a few FireNation officials who would pay a pretty price to see her." The captain smirked as some of his men jerked Bee to her feet, taking her away. Smellerbee's eyes were wide with fright as they dragged her away from me. I tried to get up to go after her, but a boot connected with my gut, sending me sprawling backwards. The captain leering over me was the last thing i remembered before blacking out.

A/N; DUN DUN DUN! What will happen to our Bee? Will Longshot find her and Jet? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out my darlings! Until next time... 


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: I know I'm completely evil for the last chapter :D Sorry, I had to! This chapter is going to be a bit long and graphic for mainly violence. This is where the T rating kicks in. If you don't deal well with that stuff, you can skip it. It won't ruin the story for you.

I woke up somewhere dark. The inky black swirled around me until my eyes adjusted to the darkness. A small bit of liquid silver moonlight trickled in, landing on the face of a stranger, half hiding his face in the shadows. "So, you finally woke up." the man said in a deep, gravelly voice. He stood up and started towards me I tried to back up, but my hands and ankles were bound in cold metal shackles. The man smiled a bit. "Nice try, but you're not going anywhere." He leaned in close to my face. "I might have a proposition for you. If you behave, we can get you a cozy little cell on a Fire Nation ship. What do you think?" he asked me, his rancid breath reaching my nose. As a response, I spit in his eye. He growled and stumbled back, rubbing his eye. He grabbed a whip off of the wall. "You're going to pay for that you little brat!" The man cracked the whip in the air and I winced, bracing myself for the blow. A horrible pain prickled on my collarbone. Another on my thighs. Twenty lashes was my punishment. Blood trickled down my legs, dripping into a small puddle beneath me. My arms could barely hold my weight. I hung my head, panting. The man came near me again. "So do we have a deal?" he asked again. I fought for a breath before responding. "I.. will.. never.. cooperate.. I.. will.. fight.. until.. my... last.. breath."

This angered the man. He stormed out of the room, leaving me alone gasping for air. Hot tears slid down my cheeks, falling onto my chest, stinging the wounds the whip had left. Longshot. The last time I saw him, he had been lying on the ground. Did they have him too? Jet. The captain had said they had Jet too. I hoped wherever they were, they weren't having to endure the same.

- Jet's POV-

I cried out as the hot coal hit my back. "I'll ask you again, child. Where is the rest of your group?!" The man hissed into my ear. He had questioned me for hours on end, using all sorts of tortures. "I don't know! I'm telling you the truth!" Another man spoke from across the room. "Leave him. He's had enough for now." The man droppped the coal back into the fire in front of me. They left, slamming the door on their way out. My breathing was ragged as I thought of Longshot and Smellerbee. The man questioning me had told me they had captured them. If they were being tortured like this, I would hate myself for the rest of my life. A few minutes after the men left, a servant girl crept into the room. "What? Have you come to stare at me? The leader of the Freedom Fighters, finally put into his place!" I spit out the words. The girl spoke gently. "I brought water and cloths to clean your wounds." She brought a ladle of cool water to my dry and cracked lips. I gulped it down graciously. AS she dabbed the wet cloth on my burns, she was silent. "... I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be angry with you." The girl came around to my front side, wrining out a clean cloth to put on the gashes left by a whip. "It's ok. I would be a bit upset too." I chuckled a little.

After a minute or two, she finished cleaning my cuts and burns. "There. Now they won't get infected." She put down the rag and helped me gulp down another ladle of water. "What else can I help you with?" She asked quietly, so she would not be heard. " There's a boy and a girl that were captured with me. The boy's name is Longshot, he has black hair. The girl's name is Smellerbee, she has short brown hair and two red stripes of war paint on her cheeks." The girl nodded. "I'll see if I can find out where they are." The girl turned to leave. "Wait!" She turned back to me. "What's your name?" She smiled "Hikari." And with that, she was gone. Just moments after Hikari had gone, heavy footsteps thudded towards my door. A different man appeared. He smiled. "Hello, boy."

-Longshot's POV-

I grit my teath to keep from screaming as a firebender placed a hot hand on my abdomen, right next to my ribs. "If you tell us where the rest of your group is, we can end this whole mess" I didn't respond. The man struck me across the face. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. "We have that pretty little friend of yours all chained up, y'know. And your leader. If you tell us where your little friends are, nothing more will happen to them." Bee. Jet. The man smiled. "I see that caught your attention." He sat on a table in front of me. "So, are you going to tell me?" I could get immunity for Bee and Jet... But I couldn't betray the others. I lifted my head. The man's smile faltered. I shook my head. Growling, the man struck me again. My hair fell loose around my face. I struggled to breathe. "You bring this upon yourself." The man lifted a whip in the air and gave me five lashes across my back.

The man walked out of the torture room. They had Jet and Bee. Bee was already injured. How much more pain could she take? And Jet. He's strong, but even the strongest have limits. I tried to wiggle my hands out of the rope again. My arms were stretched above my head, my wrists bound with rope and paced on a metal hook. The door creaked open. I stopped squirming and looked to see who it was. A girl came into my view. She walked towards me and brought a ladle of water to my lips. I swallowed the fresh water. She brought a wet cloth to my whip slashes and burn. When she had finished cleaning them she gave me another ladle of water. While I drank, she stared at me intently. When I had gulped the last of the water, she spoke. "Is your name Longshot?" I nodded. She grinned "Oh, that's wonderful! Your friend, Jet, he asked me to find you! He's ok, just has some nasty burns and cuts. He asked me to find his other friend, Smellerbee." At the mention of Bee, my head shot up. "You know her as well! If I find her, I promise, I'll come tell you how she is!" I smiled gratefully. The girl seached my face. "You love her, don't you?" I nodded hesitantly. "I swear, I'll find her for you." She walked towards the door, but turned back to me. "My name is Hikari, by the way." And then she was gone. Hikari had promised to find Bee... I was as full of hope as ever now.

- Smellerbee's POV-

I had been strapped to a table. Man after man had come into the room. I was exhausted and sore and pain was an everpresent feeling in my body. The door opened and light filled the room. I wanted to cry. Hadn't I been broken enough? I didn't know how much more I could take. Instead of a man though, a girl that seemed only a couple of years older than me came into view. She quietly unstrapped me and helped me sit up. She helped me put on my wrappings again and then gave me a ladle of water to drink. I gulped down the precious liquid quickly. She looked at me a bit more closely. "Are you Smellerbee?" she asked me kindly. I nodded. She smiled. "Your friends, they asked me to find you, make sure you were okay." She grimaced as she looked me over. "Tell them I'm fine. I don't need them worrying about me too." I rasped out. The girl nodded and started tending to the many wounds that littered my body. The blood from the whip and other beatings had dried, so the girl tried to scrub them off as gently as possible. We were silent as she cleaned me. When she was done, she gave me another drink. "Your friends, they're fine by the way. " I nodded. Jet and Longshot were ok, that's all that mattered. I'm Hikari, just in case you were wondering." the girl said quietly. I smiled a little at her. "Thank you, Hikari." Hikari nodded and left, leaving me alone in my little prison.

A/N: I cried as I wrote this. I couldn't bear to think of Jet, Longshot, and Smellerbee broken and bloody. Hikari was like a little angel, caring for them in their time of greatest need. Hikari means "radiance" in Japanese. Thank you for reading guys. Review please! I love reviews.. They make me so happy :)  



	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Guys, I almost have 1000 views. That's so awesome! When I reah 1000, I'm going to have a little mini party while I'm on the computer. You guys will probably get a present :) READ ON!

The man had told me he could make me a deal. Bee, Longshot, and I would be released with plenty of food and other supplies with immunity from the Fire Nation for at least a year as long as I told them exactly where each Freedom Fighter was. He left me alone to think it over. We could start over. Make a new life. But what about the others? They would probably be imprisoned or worse. But we would be safe.. And the others wouldnt. I had to make a choice. And I had to make it soon, because footsteps sounded outside my door. But instead of the man I was expecting, Hikari appeared. She came close to me and gave me more water while she whispered in my ear. "Your friends are okay. But they might not be soon."

I moved my head so I could question her, but she shook her head. "Listen. They're getting impatient. The man that was in here a while ago is what they call "The Negotiator". You need to get out of here. Soon." She stepped back and gave me another ladle of water. Hikari leaned in again. "I'll help you get out of here. Do you have anything I could use to get you out of your chains?" I nodded. "In my right pocket, there's a wire." Hikari pulled it out. "Do you know how to pick a lock?" I asked. She nodded and got to work.

After a moment or two, I was free. I rubbed my wrists where the metal had bit into them. Hikari handed me my shirt and armor from where they were in the corner. I pulled them on, welcoming the comforting feeling. Hikari walked towards the door. "We're all clear, but not for long." She came back into the room. "You'll have to hurry. Longshot's three doors down on your left and Smellerbee's just two doors down from him."

I nodded my thanks and headed for the hallway. I hesitated in the doorway and turned back to Hikari. "You could be killed for this you know." I said. She nodded. "I know." "Come with us." This surprised her. "Hikari shook her head. "I couldn't." I nodded, understanding. I walked back towards her and held her petite hands in my own. "Thank you. For everything." I leaned down and kissed her before running out the door to get Longshot.

- Longshot POV-

My head jerked up at the sound of the door opening. A familiar form filled the light in the doorway. Jet. I grinned. Jet stepped into the room and looked me over. "You're in a lot better shape than I expected." I chuckled. Jet pulled out a knife and cut me down. "Man, you're lucky. You got the rope-" He didn't think I was so lucky when I showed him the rope burns on my wrists. I moved my arms and legs around a little to loosen my stiff muscles before donning my tunic and shawl. I grabbed my hat and tied it around my neck so it was resting on my back. He looked in the corner and saw his tiger hook swords, my bow and quiver, and Bee's daggers. Bee. 'Where is she?' Jet jerked his head to the left. "Two doors down." We grabbed our weapons and made sure the hallway was all clear before sneaking out. I kept watch while Jet tried to pick the lock on Bee's door. After a few seconds he got it and we stepped inside. "Sprits..."

-Smellerbee POV-

I was curled into a ball on the dirt floor, blood running off of me. When one of the men had made the mistake of trying to get too close to me while I was unchained, I had bit his hand. I got thiry-five lashes. I was broken from everything that had happened in the long, trying two days we had been here. I know, doesn't seem like long, but it felt like an ertenity. I was so accustomed to the darkness that when the door opened and the light from the hallway spilled in, I had tried to shield my eyes, but I couldn't move my arm. "Spirits..." That voice.. Jet? I looked up best I could and sure enough, Jet and Longshot were standing over me. I curled into a tighter ball, sudenly aware of my nakedness. (The man had stripped me before my whipping.) "Bee..." Something soft covered me. Longshot's shawl. Longshot wrapped me up in it as best as he could without hurting me then picked me up bridal style. Tears started rolling down my cheeks. Longshot stopped moving 'Did I hurt you?' I shook my head. He kept going. Jet gathered my things up before poking his head out in the hallway. "Man, we are on a lucky streak. There's been no guards out." Jet said. "There's a meeting today." I said, my voice hoarse.

We got into the hallway and ran towards the door at the end of the hall. Well at least Jet and Longshot ran. I was still in Longshot's arms. We made it out and kept running until we were a good distance away. We were free. Lost, hungry, and wounded, but free. Jet ventured a little into the dark forest to find something to eat. Longshot put me gently on the ground with my stuff and turned his back. I put my wrappings back on and pulled on my shorts and my shirt. My armor could wait until I was healed. Longshot turned back around and smiled a little sadly. 'Your war paint is gone.' I shrugged gingerly. He sat down next to me. Longshot looked like he was going to say something, but Jet walked out of the woods at that moment, his arms full of roots and berries. "I know it's not meat, but with it being this late, I'm not going to risk going deep into the forest."

He split the food up evenly and we ate in silence. Really, the rest of the evening was silent, except for when Jet built a fire. I laid my head in Longshot's lap, still wrapped in his crimson shawl, and drifted off to sleep.

~~~~ Bee's Nightmare ~~~~

There was a shadowy man in the room. He kept walking towards me. No matter how much I screamed and begged, he just kept walking. He stretched out his hand to touch my cheek and- I jerked awake, a scream slipping from my lips, my face wet with tears. Longshot and Jet were still awake, their faces hovering over me, full of concern. Longshot started stroking my hair, comforting me. "It was just a dream, Bee." Jet went to touch my arm, but I shrank away. The only person I trusted enough to touch me was Longshot. Jet drew his hand back, confused. Longshot kept stroking my hair as I kept sobbing, "It wasn't a dream, it was real." It was real. Things that nightmares are made of.. They had happened to me. It would never be just a dream again.

A/N; Poor Bee :( Ok, I promis, next xhapter is happier. They did get free in this chapter though! *starts singing Chase Freedom card song* Freedom, Freedom... You get the idea. Until next time my lovelies. REVIEW PLEASE! Reviews make me happy. :D


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: WHOOOO! Over a thousand views on this story! YAY! :D Thanks to everyone whose read this story! Y'all are amazing! Your present is this chapter! Hahaha Isn't that a great present? Right? I realized I forgot to do Disclaimer so here we go.. Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender or the canon parts of this story. I only own Hikari, noncanon happenings, Chan/Kentai, and the other random things that are put in here. READ ON!

Bee finally fell asleep again after a while. I felt like kicking myself for letting all of us be captured like that. But, it had already happened and there was no use for dwelling on the past. According to Jet, our next step was heading to Ba Sing Se, where we could start fresh and forget about the Freedom Fighters. We would be safe. Safe. I had almost forgotten the meaning of the word. We would start to a ferry in Half Moon Bay the next morning. We could get a house and eventually work our way up to the Middle Ring. We would have a new life. We could have a home. Home. That would be nice. My head was filled with imaginings of Ba Sing Se as I drifted asleep.

The next morning was a cruel awakening. It had gotten colder and a bitter wind was blowing around us now. I shivered. I really hoped that it would warm up as the day went on. I straightened from my hunched over position I had fallen asleep in and cracked my back. Ow. I moved my shoulders around to get them loose and woke Bee. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. 'We have a long day ahead of us.' She rolled her eyes. "Joy." I shook Jet awake while Bee separated our leftover food evenly. We all ate quickly, knowing we probably wouldn't eat again that day. That was okay. We were used to hunger knawing at our bellies. Jet smothered what was left of the fire and we were off.

-Suki's POV-

I sat on a rock and waited for more refugees to be let in. It was late and the next ferry wouldn't leave until late next morning due to some complications. The doors were earthbended open and three tired-looking boys stumbled in. I stood up and went to talk to them. "Hello, and welcome to Half Moon Bay. Do you three young men have passports?" The two oldest looking ones exchanged an amused look as the smaller one growled out: "I'm. A. Girl." Oops. I tried to apologize but she just shook it off. "Well, we're having some complications with the ferry so the next one won't leave until late tomorrow morning." The three looked at each other, having a silent sonversation, and the oldest looking one nodded. "That's fine." I gestured around me. "Sleep wherever you can find a spot." I walked off. I can't believe I called that girl a boy. *Facepalm*

-Jet POV-

I sat down on the ground. That attendant hadn't been badlooking.. I shook my head. I was here to get to Ba Sing Se not find a girlfriend. Besides, I couldn't stop thinking about Hikari. She had risked her life to save us. Why? I honestly didn't know. We were just a couple of kids that were prisoners. There was probably a one in a million chance I would see her again, and let's face it, me and romance didn't have the best relationship. First Katara, now Hikari. I sighed and looked at Longshot and Smellerbee. They were playing the elemental game. Now those two, they were practically destined to be together. Why did I keep having such bad luck?! I shook my head and stretched out on the ground to try and get some sleep before the ferry ride tomorrow.

-Longshot POV-

The next morning, a man had some extra porridge and gave it to us. We accepted it graciously, knowing we would need to nutrition. When the ticket line finally opened, we jumped to get in light. "Passports?!" The lady at the booth asked. "We don't have any." Jet replied. "No passports, no tickets!" We sighed, defeated and stepped out of line. Great. "Now how are we supposed to get on the ferry?" Bee asked, impatient. "I'll find a way. Just give me a little bit." We waited. One ferry left. And another. The door opened yet again, and me and Bee looked up, bored, from our game. We jumped behind some other refugees. It was the Avatar and his friends. Great, just what we needed. We watched them get in line with another family. There was another person with their group. She was wearing traditional earthbending clothes and apparently she had a really good passport, because the four of them got tickets. The family that had come in with them set down their stuff and went to talk to some other people. A few moments later, There was a flash of familiar red and the stuff was gone.

I facepalmed. Jet.. He appeared next to us. "We have tickets now, let's get on the next ferry." Bee grabbed his arm. "We can't steal from a pregnant woman!" Jet jerked his arm from her grasp. "Chill, Bee. They'll find a way to get across." He stalked off. Me and Bee exchanged a look and hurried after him. We got on the ferry just in time. Jet leaned against a pole while me and Bee just stood and talked. She did the talking. "I'm tired of living like this." I heard a guy our age say. "Aren't we all?" Jet, why do you always get involved? "My name's Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters, Smellerbee and Longshot." I nodded. "Hey." The boy turned back to the water. "Hello." Jet walked forwards a little. "Here's the deal. I hear the captain's eating like a king while the refugees feed off his scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?" Jet, what are you doing? "What sort of king is he eating like?" This came from the large man next to the byoy. "The fat, happy kind." Close your mouth, you'll get flies. "Want to help us "liberate" some food?" Great Jet, juuust great. Yeah let's go steal from the captain while we're trying to start over. The boy tossed his bowl over the side. "I'm in." Joy.

The plan was simple. I wait for Jet, Smellerbee, and Lee ( that kid from earlier) to give the signal and I would shoot an arrow with some rope for them to slide down on. I leaned on my bow and waited for the signal. Bee leaned over the railing a few minutes later. "Gaurd's coming!" I shot the arrow while the others slid down. They had manged to get a pretty good load. We handed them out to the refugees. Me and Bee sat down to eat. After a while the old man, he said his name was Mushi, spoke up. "So, Smellerbee, that's an unusual namefor a young man." Ooohhh. not again. Bee's eyes narrowed. "Maybe that's because I'm not a man, I'm a GIRL." She jutted out her chin and walked away. "Oh, now I see, it's a beautiful name for a lovely girl!" The man tried to yell after her. I got up and caught up with Bee. I grabbed her shoulder and shot her a look. "I know, you're right. As I long as I'm confident with who I am, it doesn't matter what other people think. Thanks, Longshot." I nodded and we walked offf.

We were looking out at sea, the salty water spraying our faces, when she turned to me. "Longshot, am I really that ugly? People think I'm always a guy." I looked at her. "Why on earth, would you think you're ugly?" She looked away, embarrased. "It's just that, well..." She trailed off. I turned her toards me and leaned down.

- Smellerbee POV-

Longshot's kiss said it all. *I* know you're a girl. We stared at the water for a minute or two. "We should probably.. get back.." I didn't want to go back. Longshot stopped me. 'Bee, your nightmare, a few nights back. What happened in it?' I shook my head, freash tears forming in my eyes. "I don't want to talk about it." He nodded and we walked back to the group. I guess I did need to forgive that Mushi for calling me a guy...

A/N: AWWW! Longshot knows how to comfor her so well. :) Guys, I REALLY want someone to draw some fanart for my fiction. That would be the most amazing thing ever. If you know someone who could do it, or if you're willing to d it, message me! Review por favor! 


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a while. I had a church event Friday night and all day Saturday and my friend's dad was killed in a motorcycle wreck. If you guys pray, please pray for her. Anyway, I'm changing it so when Longshot talks, it's going to have parentheses, (like this.) Read on!

The foghorn woke us up early the next morning. I blinked my eyes a little until they were used to the sun and sat up, cracking my back. Bee moaned and pulled the thin blanket she had over her head to block out the whitish sun. I rolled my eyes and pulled the blanket off. Bee opened her eyes and stuck her tongue out at me. I stick my tongue out back at her. She smiled a little and held out her hand for me to help her up. I did, and we walked to the railing. The rising sun tinted the clouds link and the light reflected on to the blue water, making it look lavender. Bee lifted her face towards the sun. I watched her.

Bee was a special pretty. Not the kind of pretty that makes the guys on the street do a double take, but she was the kind of pretty that gets prettier everytime you look at her. The wind blew her hair around her face. Someone yelled that we were close to land and we went to the front. Jet was already there, with that guy from last night, Lee. Mushi came up behind us a few moments later and put a hand on Lee's shoulder. The boat jolted a little as it hit the shore, and the anchor was thrown down. A ladder was lowered from one of the crew members and we went down. I stepped down first then helped Bee down. Land. I could see the wall from here. The beginning of our fresh start. A chance to change our lives.

Bee reached for my hand and our fingers entwined. There was some people on the dock, reltives of refugees, a few friends. We didn't have anyone. No loving parents or excited best friends, no tight hugs or tears of joy spilling over our faces. No smiles or welcomes. Just us. That was all we had. Jet started for the rough path that had been carved by hundreds and hundreds of weary feet through the grass. Me and Bee followed him. Mushi and Lee caaught up with us and a little bit later, we were at a train station. We waited in line behind the two. The ticket lady and Mushi flirted, which was REALLY gross. I'm pretty sure Bee gagged a little.

"I think Lee would make a good Freedom Fighter. He's just trying to find his way in the world, like us." Jet spoke, the first time all day. Bee scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You don't know anything about him, Jet." Jet smirked. "I know he didn't get that scar from a waterbender." "Besides, I thought we were going straight now." She had a point. "We are, and the new Freedom Fighters could use a guy like Lee. What do you think, Longshot?" Jet addressed me and him and Bee turned to me to see my reaction. I looked over. (I just want to get to Ba Sing Se and start clean.) Jet pulled the piece of wheat from his mouth. "I can respect that."

We moved up in line to the ticket lady. She looked over our tickets. "Why does this one say Ying if you three are all boys?" She raised a bushy eyebrow. Bee gritted her teeth. "I'm a girl." The lady's face was the perfect definition of surprise and she stamped our tickets quickly, blurting out a 'sorry'. Bee just snatched her ticket back and stomped over to a seat and plopped down. I walked over and sat with her. (Bee.) She looked up. "What." She said, still angry. I gave her a look. Bee sighed in resignation."I know, I know. As long as I'm confident in who I am.." Jet got up to go talk with Lee, and when we got back, he was furious.

"Last call for Ba Sing Se!" The announcers voice echoed through the train station. We got up and hurried towards the train. Jet told us what happened while we walked. " Jet, relax! So the old guy had some hot tea, big deal!" Bee said, trying to get Jet to chill. "He heated it himself! Those guys are firebenders!" We got on the train and sat down, exhausted. Well, Jet wasn't. He was still upset about what he saw.

Me and Bee hadn't gotten much sleep on the ferry so within a few minutes, her head was resting on my shoulder. I kncoked my hat back so it would rest on my back, between my shoulder blades and laid my head back against the wall. I sighed and closed my eyes. The next thing I knew, we jolted to a stop. I opened my eyes sleepily. Bee was still asleep. Man, that girl could sleep through anything, I swear! I shook her awake gently. (We're here.) Be jumped up excitedly. "Really?!" She rushed off the train to get a first glimpe of the big city. I joined her a few moments later. Wow.

The city stretched out before us. Jet igonred the view completely, and started down the steps. Me and Bee exchanged a look and chased after him. He seemed to know exactly where he was going. Strange. Not so strange when I saw why he was going a certain way. Lee and Mushi were just a few yards in front of us. Mushi was carrying some flowers and was talking to Lee as tey walked towards the lower ring's apartment center. "Look at them. Firebenders living under everyone's noses." I sighed and motioned to Bee. We started walking towards a restaurant across the street.

"Excuse me, sir?" Bee asked the man behind the counter. He straightened and looked at us. "Yes, what can I do for you two?" He said, peering down at us through his glasses. "We saw the sign, and wanted to see if we could have an interview or something for a job?" Bee said. "Well, I only have the one job. It's as dishwasher." Bee shrugged. "I'll take what I can get. " The man nodded. "Ok, you're hired. You start tomorrow." He turned to me. "There's a bakery a few doors down that's hiring, son." I nodded.

We got to the bakery and I opened the door. The smell of fresh baked bread, banana custard, and some other things I didn't recognize drifted towards mine and Bee's noses. Our stomachs growled in unision. I shrugged it off. So did Bee. I walked to the woan behind the counter. Her round face was pink from the heat and she was talking to a customer. When she finsihed, she turned to us. "What can I help you with, my dears? Want some tarts? Or some meat pies? You look like you could use a good meal." I shook my head. "I'm here about the job." Bee looked at me. (She doesn't understand me, I have to talk.) She nodded. "You're just in time! I have a position as the bakerr, mine just quit." I nodded. "I'll take it." The woman beamed at me. "You can start tomorrow at 7 a.m... I'm sorry I didn't get your name." "Longshot," I offered. She nodded "Ok, Longshot, see you tomorrow." I nodded and me and Bee went to go out the door, but the lady's voice reached us. "Do you two have any money?" We turned and Bee shook her head. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Yesterday, at dinner." The woman shook her head and gave us a kind look. "Come back in the back." We followed her behind the counter. The woman pulled some meat pies out, still hot and steaming and set them on a table in front of us. "Here, eat." Me and Bee shook our heads. "We can't accept this, we have no money to pay you with." Bee said. The woman put her hands on her hips. "Young lady, I'm not askin', I'm tellin' you to eat. You probably won't eat again very soon, so go on and stuff your face. Consider it a welcome to Ba Sing Se gift." And with that, she went back to the counter. Me and Bee sat down and did exactly like she told us. Man, it felt good to have food in our stomachs again. The woman reappeared with a big sack. "Here, take some for the road. Don't need you passing out with hunger on your first day." She said smiling. Bee and I bowed. "Thank you." "I'm Hiroko,by the way.. Figured you would want to know since I'm your boss now and all." I grinned and we walked out, thanking Hiroko again.

Jet nearly ran us over in the street a few moments later.

"Hey, guys, I found this apartment that's close and it's free for the first few nights since we're refugees." Jet said. He seemed distracted. (Let me guess, it's next to Mushi and Lee's?) Jet looked away. "WEll, not right next to them..." Bee sighed. "Well it's going to be dark soon, so let's head over." she said. We walked in silence, me and Bee holding holding hands again. We broke them apart though when Jet looked over at us a little oddly.

The apartment was small, but it was perfect for us. A place to sleep with a kitchen. Jet tossed the small sack he had on the cot and walked out again. Me and Bee stayed up talking for a little while. I tried to figure out what her nightmare was about, but every time she just changed the subject. Eventually, I gave up and went to go sleep on the top of the bunk bed that was in the apartment. I heard Bee get in the bottom one a few moments later and she blew out the candle, enveloping our room in darkness. I heard Jet come back and rummage through his bag for a minute before I fell asleep.

A/N: TADA! Hiroko means generous child in Japanese. Fits her doesn't it? *announcer's voice*Next time on S&L:Our Legend; Jet is captured, and what will our dynamic duo do? Will Longshot ever find out what Bee's nightmare is about? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out. 


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: This story is a bit longer than I thought it would be when I originally started. It might actually go up to thirty chapters. I don't know. I realized I left some of the dialogue out in the last chapter. Sorry about that guys, was in a rush to get it done. READ ON!

Some kind of bird (probably a normal rooster since this place is so strange) crowed outside earlier than I wanted it to. I groaned and rolled out of the botom bunk and rolled to where my bag was sitting on the floor. I pulled out my armor and slipped it on. I was tying the leather strings for my chest plate when cold fingers quickly finished the job. I whirled around in surprise to see Longshot grinning sheepishly. "Geez, Longshot! Way to almost give me a heart attack!" (Sorry.) I shook it off. "Ready for your first day?" I asked with fake enthusiasm. Longshot shrugged. (I guess.) We walked into the kitchen and I split a cold tart in half, one for each of us. We ate in silence and quickly. After all, it was our first day on the job.

I swallowed my last bite, wiped my mouth with my sleeve, and started out the door. I jogged to the restaurant to keep warm in the chilly morning fog and made it there with a few minutes to spare. My new boss, Mister Ryota, showed me where to put the clean dishes and how to fill up the wooden wash tub correctly. I tied an apron around my waist so I wouldn't be totally sokaed and started washing the dishes the chefs had used to prepare breakfast. Once I was done with those, the tea cups and porridge bowls started coming in. I worked until lunch, my one break. I sat and scarfed down one of the leftover meat pies that I had warmed up over the stove. As I stood and started walking back to my little "area", Inearly ran over someone.

He grumbled. "Dude, watch it! I almost spilled the noodles. Stupid boy." I narrowed my eyes. "I'm a girl." The guy's eyes widened. I just kept walking as I heard him try to sputter out an apology. The rest of my day was the same as the beginning. When we finally closed, I was beat. I started the short walk home, my feet sore and swollen from hours of standing. Longshot was already home when I flung open the door. He had bits of dough stuck in his hair and tufts of it were coming out of his usually neat ponytail. He raised an eyebrow. (Tired?) I eyed him wearily. "What do you think?"

-Longshot POV-

Bee looked awful. The bags under her eyes made her look worn and she looked like she was in pain everytime she walked. She was soaked from her shoulders down. Her hair was frizzy, probably from the steam coming off the hot water in her little room. I pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit. Bee accepted it gratefully. I gave her the other meat pie that I had gotten that day. My boss throws out all the ones we don't sell, so I got some good food. We ate and swapped stories about our jobs. I told her a story about a crazy customer that had come in demanding a pie made out of pigs feet. She laughed and I beamed. It was probably the first time I had heard her laugh for real since were imprisioned. We also talked about Jet, despite us trying to avoid it.

I cleaned up and she went to go pump some water for the baths. We bathed and sat in our beds listening to the sound of Ba Sing Se at night. People shouting, probably for a bar fight, ostrich-horses shrieking, drunkards singing and laughing, the few merchants that were open trying to pedal their wares, and if you listened closely, birds singing. We sat and waited for Jet to get home. When he didn't come home after a while, we got worried.

So we left in search of him. We found him sitting in an alley across from a teashop. The same teashop, I realized, frustrated, that Lee and Mushi work in. Bee walked behind him. "Jet we need to talk." Jet turned in surprise, probably lost in his own thoughts. "What? Oh great, it's you guys. Where have you been? I could use some surveillance here!" I felt like knocking him out right now. "We've been talking, and we think you're becoming obssessed with this. It's not healthy." Jet eyed us suspiciously. "Oh, really. You both think this?" I put my arm around Bee supportively. "We came here to make a fresh start. But you won't let this go. Even though there's no real proof!" Bee said, almost shouting. "Well maybe if you'd help me!" Yeah, Jet we definitely want to screw up our chance at a new life. "Jet you gotta stop this!" Bee said, almost pleading now. "Maybe you've forgotten why we need to start over." I looked down guiltily. I remembered just fine. "Maybe you've forgotten how the Fire Nation left us all homeless. How they wiped out all the people we loved?! If you don't want to help me, I'll get the evidence on my own." And with that, he stormed off into the tea shop.

Great. Now he's gone and done it. Sure enough, me and Bee heard yells inside the shop and the sounds of a fight erupting. "You want a show? I'll give you a show!" And there goes Lee. We could see a little of what was going on inside. "Well this is just fantastic. Now we'll have to deal with destruction of property and harassment charges." Bee muttered. I sighed and rubbed my temples. Way to go, Jet. Way to go. A few minutes later, the two came tumbling out into the street. Great, now they had an audience. "You must be getting tired of using those swords. Why don't you go ahead and firebend at me?" Shut up Jet, just shut up. You're making it worse!

"Please, son, you're confused! You don't know what you're doing!" Mushi yelled from the door of the teashop. Just listen to the man, Jet! "Bet you wish he'd help you out with a little fire blast right now." Jet said. "You're the one who needs help!" Lee growled. "Yeah, we know that." Bee muttered. I smirked. Lee lashed out again, cutting Jet's piece of straw in half. Spirits that was close! "You see?!" Jet, really? "The Fire Nation is trying to silence me! It'll never happen!" Someone's going to call the police. This is just awesome Jet. Way to make a fresh start! I rolled my eyes.

"Drop your weapons." Here we go. "Arrest them! They're firebenders!" Haven't you gotten in enough trouble, Jet? "This poor boy is confused, we're just simple refugees!" Thank you, Mushi! The owner of the tea shop came forward and pointed accusingly at Jet. "This young man wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my employees!" He shouted angrily. "It's true sir, we saw the whole thing. This crazy kid tried to attack the finest tea maker in the city!" Who are you calling crazy? He's just... excited? "Oh, ho ho, that's very sweet." This is not the time for thank you's Mushi.. "Come with us, son." A Dai Li agent stepped forward. Jet gripped his tiger hook swords. Are you really thinking of doing that?! Forget this, you really are crazy, Jet! Jet swung around but the agents quickly disarmed him. "You don't understand! They're Fire Natio! You have to believe me!" Jet was still shouting as he was dragged off.

I nudged Bee and we silently walked away. No use trying now. He was gone. "Our one try to start fresh is just gone." Bee said. Her shoulders sagged in defeat. I put an arm around her shoulders and we walked home. Home. Had I ever really been able to say that once? Not treehouse, but home? It brought back memories of happy tiimes. My mother making almond cookies and tea, me and the other children playing with an old ball we had found. But all that was gone. It was time to make new memories. With Bee. We could do it. Together.

A/N: Sorry if it was little too fluffy at the end. I'm doing what happens when they get home in the next chapter. What would y'all think of a modern AU? I might do one... I don't know. REVIEW PEOPLE! I like reviews alot! :) 


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Just my idea about what happens in between the time that Jet gets arrested until we see our favorite two , please like PM me or review or something. I'm not famous or anything :) I really want to talk to y'all! READ ON MY DEARS!

The walk back home was quiet. Not the kind of quiet that's comfortable but the awkward kind of quiet, like when someone makes a joke at a funeral. Longshot held the door to the apartment open for me and I went to make tea in the sat there for a while just sipping our tea before I spoke up. "He's such an idiot." I stood up and started to pace. " We told him to leave it alone but did he listen to us? Nohoho, because Jet's always right and there's no way he could get caught or in trouble so why not go stalk some people we don't even know?!" I threw my hands up in frustration. "Stupid, stupid Jet! Always thinks he's right! I knew this would happen!" Tears of anger were streaming down my face now. Longshot touched my shoulder gently and I whipped around to face him. "Why couldn't he just listen?" I whispered. "And why did we just stand by and do nothing while he was carried off?!" I yelled, my voice hoarse and my throat raw. I sobbed and beat my fists against his muscular chest. This went on for a while until finally I was exhausted.

Longshot rubbed my back until I was done crying. He guided me back to my chair and left to get something. He came back with a wet cloth and began to wipe my face gently. I realized that my war paint and dark eyeliner must've run all over my face. Longshot and I just sat there like that for a few minutes; him kneeling on the floor and wiping my face, me sitting there and letting him, sniffling every few moments. He finally finished and stroked my cheek with his thumb. He gave me a quick peck on the cheek. I smiled weakly. Longshot helped me to the bunk. I slipped off my armor , headband and shoes, and he his hat shawl and quiver. We nuggled into the bottom bunk and I promptly fell asleep, dreaming about the forest and treehouse.

- Longshot POV-

I listened to Bee's rythymic breathing as I lay in the bed. Poor Bee. She was only thirteen and her heart had already been sobered by things no one should ever have to go through. I sighed. Might as well try to get some sleep before having to get up in the morning for work.

Another bird crowed outside at 6:00, right on the dot. I groaned. Maybe we could just take a sick day. I shook Bee a little. She moaned. "What?" (Job.) She groaned into the pillow before rolling over to get out of bed. (Can't you take a sick day?) She shook her head. "Not with my boss." She pulled on her shoes and headband. (No armor?) Bee shook her head again. "Too hot." I sat up, hitting my head on the upper bunk. I growled and rubbed it. Bee smirked and left the room. I heard her rustling around in the kitchen and the door slamming. I rolled my shoulders and pulled on my hat. Leaving my arrows and bow and grabbing some breakfast on the way out, I sprinted towards my job so I wouldn't be late.

I made it to the bakery with a few minutes to spare. Hiroko smiled at me. "You're the first employee that Ive had that's never been late." I smiled a little. She looked closer at me. "Honey, do you need a day off or something? You look like something the platypus bear dragged in." I shrugged. "Rough week I guess." She put a hand on my shoulder. "It'll pay off you know. Pay day's not too far away." I grinned. "There that got your attention! And with the good work you've been doing, I'd say you're up for a bonus." Hiroko winked and I went back to the back. Tying an apron around my waist and hanging my hat on a peg, I started to knead the dough for that day. Before long, I heard the bell on the door, signifying a customer.

"Don't I know you from somewhere? Oh right! You were with Longshot when he first came for the job!" Hiroko turned back to me. "Longshot, you've got a visitor!" I wiped the flour off my hands and went to the front. Bee sttood there, wringing her hands nervously. "Can I talk to you?" She said. I looked at Hiroko, who nodded, then walked out wth Bee. (Bee what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost.) She shook her head. "I don't know, I think I might be going crazy but I swear, I saw something." I gripped her shoulders. (Bee, what did you see?) "Well, you know how when we got captured and that girl Hikari helped us?" I nodded. "Well I think I just saw her and Cha- I mean Kentai." (Where?) Bee jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. "A few alleys away while I was taking out the trash."

(Are you sure?) "Positive. I rubbed a hand over my face. Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder...

A/n: AHAHA! CLIFFIE! I know, I"m evil. :) Just wait till the next chapter my lovelies! Until next time... 


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Hey guyys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, been super busy and SUPER tired. But continuing on from the cliffie of last chapter, READ ON MY LOVELIES!

I looked at Bee. (You're positive you saw them? Absolutely sure?) Bee gave me a look. "Yes, I"m sure I saw them. Look, I have to get back to work. I"ll see you back at the apartment." She ran back to the restaurant. I stared, dumbfounded, after her disappearing figure. One of the guys that I worked with came up behind me and clapped me and the back. "What's eatin' ya Shot?" He followed my eyes. "Oh, got your eyes on a little lady, eh? I have to say, she's got a nice-" Without thinking, I turned and punched him square in the jaw. He staggered back. "What'dya do that for?!" He looked down at my fists. I looked down myslef, they were still clenched. I stood there for a moment contemplating my next move before unclenching them and walking inside.

The guy grabbed my shirt and pulled me up. "You think you can do that and then just walk away? I'm gonna teach you a lesson, punk!" By now, some of his friends had gotten there, so now I knew I was really screwed. He dropped me. Pain exploded in my jaw and I stumbled backwards. I clenched my fists and started back towards them. Someone's fist slammed into my nose. My hands instinctivel went up to my nose, leaving me vulnerable. A right hook to my stomach took me down, and everything went downhill from there. "Alright, that's enough!" This came from the first guy."I think he learned his lesson, didn't you?" He leered over me. They walked away. I crawled to the door and knocked. Hiroko came out. She looked down and saw me. She gasped, putting a hand over mouth.

Hiroko helped me insode and cleaned my cuts with a rag. " I had to this for my son once. He was your age." Hiroko's expressionwas sad. " What happened to him?" I asked. my voice raspy. "The Fire Nation." Nothing else needed to be said. "You take the rest of the day off. You need to rest." I nodded, thanking her, and walked out the door. I started towards the restaurant. Bee's boss came out front when I walked in. "Yes, can I... help you?" He asked. "I need to talk to Smellerbee, please." The man nodded and went behind a wall. Bee came out a few minutes later. She was sweating and her hands were red from the lye in the soap. Bee gasped when she saw me. (That bad huh?) I grimaced. "Longshot you look awful! What happened?" (Ran into a bit of trouble, nothing much. Hey, I need you. Ask for te day off.) Bee shrugged. "I'll try." She went back behind the wall. She came back after a few moments, grimacing. "I can, but he's docking it off my pay. Let's go."

We walked out. A familiar sight of black hair and blond made me wince. Two figures walked up. "Hey." I looked at them, staring straight into the face of the girl who saved us.

- Bee's POV-

"Hey." I looked at Chan. Traitor. The word floated around in my head. "Hey yourself." I mumbled. "So, how are you doing in the city?" He asked. "I'm sorry, when did we become friends? Last time I checked, you had betrayed us and we got tortured and almost killed because of you! So don't 'hey.' me and expect me to be all friendly with you!" I crossed my arms. Chan winced. "Look, I'm sorry. I've changed though! I"ve left all that behind me! I swear." "Yeah, never heard that one before." I said under my breath before running. Longshot and the othes called for me to come back, but I didn't listen. I needed to get away. Away from them. Away from this city. Away from my past.

A/N: Sorry. that's all i could squeeze out. I"ve got a case of writer's block and it sucks. I promise the next chapter will be longer! I swear! Please don't be mad at me! Anyways, Hikari and Chan are back! YAAAAAaaaaaayyyy? *Looks around* No onE? Ok... 


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Ok, everybody's after my feels today! I've seen so many things and I'm just like "Oh, right in the feels!" Anyway, the song Home by Phillip Phillips is brilliant! I love it! So since today I had nothing to do, I'm writing you guys another chapter! Yayyy! Read on my lovelies! Or as the Doctor would say, Allons-y!

I sighed. Chan, Hikari, and I were back in the apartment. I had said I would at least listen to what Chan had to say. Smellerbee was still gone, off to spirits know where. I listened for the whistle of the tea kettle as I sat in thought. It had started raining outside and the drumming of it against the roof was soothing. An ear-splitting whistle cut through the air. I poured the bubbling water into three cups with the tea leaves and brought them to the tiny living room we had. We all sat around the table, making ourselves comfortable, and then Chan spoke.

"After you escaped, the captain was extremely angry." I would think so. "He threatened to kill us all if we didn't admit to who let you guys out. After an hour of no one talking, he kept his promise. He killed my friend, right in front of everyone. He killed two people before I spoke up. I knew Hikari had done it but I hadn't wanted her to get killed. I told the captain I did it and he sentenced me to execution. I had three days. Hikari helped me escape. We took the ferry here and we've been hiding in the city ever since. I swear, we've cut all ties with the Fire Nation. You have to believe me."

I sat for a moment, pondering what he had just said to me. After a while I spoke. "I believe you, but it's not me you have to convince." As if on cue, the door opened and Bee walked in. She was drenched from the rain and muddy all over. And there was... blood? I stood up and ran to her. (Bee, what happened?) I looked over her, trying to find the source. There was a large cut on her forehead and her calf. "Ran into some trouble in the wrong side of town." she said weakly before falling unconscious. I caught her and carried her to the bedroom. Chan and Hikari followed me in.

I told Hikari where the rags were in the kitchen and she left to get some. Chan stood awkwardly in the room before Hikarireturned, damp rags in hand. I gently cleaned Bee's head wound. I motioned for Chan and Hikari to leave but Hikari shook her head. "I want to help." I thought for a moment before allowing her. She took the second rag and handed it to me, going to clean the first. I rolled Bee's pants to her knee and cleaned her cut on her leg. It was deeper than I had thought, so I ripped off the hem of my extra shirt and tied it tight around the wound. Hikari returned with the clean rag.

I cleaned the mud off of Bee best I could. She was clean and I had bandaged her cuts, so where was the blood coming from? I rolled up her shirt and the smell of blood became stronger. There was an angry scarlet streak on her torso. Hikari gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. I grimaced. I put the rag over the gash, trying to stop it from bleeding. Hikari handed the clean one off to me and ran and cleaned the dirty rag for who knows how long before I finally got the bleeding to stop. I pulled some bandages I had snagged out of my bag and wrapped it tightly around the wound. By the time we were done, it was dark out and the rain was still coming down hard. I sat and watched Bee for a while before Hikari came up to me. "Here." She handed me a cup of hot tea. I took it gratefully and wrapped my cold hands around the cup, trying to suck some warmth from the hot liquid.

"You need to rest." I shook my head, still focusing on Bee, looking for any sign of her waking up. "I'll watch her, you need sleep. I promise I'll wake you up if anything changes." I nod wearily and stretched out on the floor next to the bed. I pulled the blanket from the top bunk and drifted off to sleep. Before long, I dreamed. I was a kid, playing with some of my old friends from my village. We were laughing and kicking around this old ball we had found.

"I bet I can kick this ball to that tree over there!" I cried confidently. "Not by a longshot!" My friend Akihiko responded, grinning. I reared up and ran towards the ball, my leg sending it flying. THUNK! I smiled. "Okay, that was just luck!" Akihiko said, frowning. I laughed, closing my eyes. When my eyes opened. Akihiko was gone, and so were the other children. Their laughter had been silenced, never to be heard again. I turned in a circle, looking for my friends. A silhouette came running towards me. My mother? "Run, Isamu! Run as fast as you can! Don't look back, just run!" I turned and ran. A bow and some arrows had appeared in my hands as I ran. I ran until I couldn't run anymore. And then the world was black.

I shot up, panting. It was still dark. Hikari looked at me with concern. "Are you ok?" I nodded, wiping the sweat off my brow. I sat for a moment, looking at my folded hands. I got up. "Sleep. I'll watch her." Hikari nodded and I sat on the bunk. I watched Bee's peaceful face as she slept. I stroked her cheek. Tonight was one of the rare nights she wasn't having a nightmare. I snorted. Who am I kidding? We lived in a nightmare. Every day was just a nightmare.

A/N: Aww, sad :( Why do I walways have bad stuff happen to Bee? Even I don't know.. Well, whatever. Akihiko means bright child. Until next time dear readers. 


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: So, I was going to give y'all a Valentine and write another chapter but I had a sucky Valentine's Day, so I wasn't in the mood, so here's a happy Sunday chapter! Whoooo! So, I've got 1,761 views on this story! YAY! We will have cookies and other such things when I hit 2,000! Also when I hit 2,000 views I'll start on my madern AU fic! I will tell all of you when it is published :) On to the story my darlings!

It was really bright when I opened my eyes. I groaned. It felt like someone was burning my eyeballs. Lovely feeling. When I finally got somewhat adjusted to the light, I opened my eyes completely.  
A face came into focus. Longshot? No. Then who... Chan. I tried to get up to push him away, but a searing pain shot through my leg and stomach. I gasped and clutched my torso.  
Chan winced. "Yeah, you got into a little trouble." Flashes of what happened come back to me. Me accidentally running into a bad group. A knife. Angry hands.

I shook my head, trying to clear the images. "Where's Longshot?" As if he heard me, Longshot walked into the room, holding a steaming cup of tea and a tiny meat pie. He pushed them towards me.  
I gratefully took them. I sipped the tea, the warm liquid soothing my sore throat. I wolfed down the meat pie. It tasted heavenly even if a little stale. Longshot explained what happened while I ate. I rolled my eyes. Chan got up quickly and cleared his throat. "I, uh, have to go somewhere. Thank you for the hospitality. But Hikari and I must really be going." He walked backwards out of the room as he spoke. I narrowed my eyes. He was acting strange but if they were leaving that was fine by me. I felt like I was forgetting something.. Oh shoot! " Longshot, what about my job? He'll take this off y pay!"  
Longshot laughed. (Calm Bee, calm. I explained what happened. Your boss isn't completely heartless.) I smiled a bit.

"What about your job?" I asked, tilting my head. He shrugged (Hiroko let me off a day to take care of you.) I sighed happily and propped my pillow up so I could lean back and still sit up.  
"That's nice." I smiled contentedly. I closed my eyes, still tired. Longshot hummed a lullaby that his mother had sung to him, or so he told me. His humnming turned into singing and soon I was dozing off to a kind, hoarse voice singing.

Away out yonder I see a star, Silvery star With a tinkling song; To the soft dew falling I hear it calling Calling and tinkling The night along.

In through the window A moonbeam comes, Little gold moonbeam With misty wings; All silently creeping, It asks; "Is she sleeping Sleeping and dreaming While brother sings?"...

-Longshot's POV-

I finished the lullaby and planted a small kiss on Bee's forehead. We'd been through so much together, and had much to go through still. But that was all ok, as long as I had her by my side. Bee was so peaceful when she slept. A small smile graced her lips. I went to the kitchen to clean. A quiet knock sounded on our door. I opened it warily. Hiroko and a friend from work, Mamoru, stood at the door smiling.  
They held a big plate full of food. I let them in, grinning. Hiroko smiled and kissed my cheek, like my aunt used. Mamoru clapped me on the back. "We figured you could use some fresh food, so we put together a little 'Get Well Bee' plate!" Hiroko beamed at me. "Well were is she? You don't think we came over just to see your sorry butt do you?" Mamoru said, smiling. "She's in there. Be quiet though, she's asleep."  
I pointed to the bedroom door.

They crept in to see Bee while I finished cleaning the kitchen and put up the food. I joined them soon afterwards. "She's so pale." Hiroko said softly. "Probably from blood loss or lack of proper food." Mamoru said.  
He wanted to become a doctor when he was older, so he studied at night. Me and Hiroko looked at him. He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry." His face sombered. "But seriously, when was the last time you changed her bandages?"

An hour later, Hiroko and Mamoru were leaving. I was tired myself, so I stretched out on the floor for a nap. When I woke up it was dark and Bee was gone. I shot up quickly, my back cracking. I sped throught the small apartment, just to find her in the kitchen, making some hot tea. "Hey Longshot. I was feeling better so I made some tea." Bee smiled. I sighed in relief and helped her. We agreed that in the morning, we would start looking for Jet. Our lovable idiot. We went to sleep and woke up earlier than usual to take a shift at our jobs so we wouldn't use up all our vacation days. We agreed that we would meet in town square at around noonish and stat looking.

-Bee's POV-

I dragged myself to work the next morning. The hours seemed to crawl slower than a cabbage slug but noon was finally here and I ran to meet Longshot. We started down an alley. A familiar voice reached my ears. "We can take a train out to the walls but then we'll have to walk." Ponytail? "Don't worry, on the way back, we'll be flying!" The Avatar? What was going on?! "We're finally leaving Ba Sing Se! Worst. City. Ever!" Ok, I din't know that one I poke my head out of the alleyway to see my leader's familia head of shaggy hair. "Jet!" Katara turned to Jet. "I thought you said you didn't have your gang anymore!" Jet turned arond to look at me. "I don't." I hugged him. "We were so worried! How did you get away from the Dai Li?!" I asked. "Dai Li?" Yes, Katara, are you deaf? "I don't know what she's talking about!" Confused, I continued. "He got arrested by the Dai Li a few weeks ago. We saw them drag him away!" I gestured to Longshot and I. "Why would I get arrested? I've been living peacefully in the city!" Yeah, good one Jet. "This doesn't make any sense. They're both telling the truth." A girl in green said, kneeling on the ground. Must be an earthbender. "That's impossible." Katara said, puzzled.

"No it's not! Toph-" Must be the earthbender- "Can't tell who's lying because they both think they're telling the truth! Jet's been brainwashed!" Ponytail yelled. Wow, for once, something intelligent came out of his mouth. "No that's impossible!"Jet yelled. "Get away from me!"  
He yelled, whirling around. We closed in on him, blocking his escape. We thought we found him, but is he still lost?

A/N: Augh! Next chapter's gonna suck :( I hate writing really really sad things. I seriousl will cry next chapter when I write it, so don't be surprised if there's a lot of spelling I totally forgot what Momaru means, so I'll tell y'all next chapter.  
Or you could look it up. It's whatever. So until next time my darlings!


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: And we pick up where we left off! Read the chapter my darlings!

Jet had led us to the apartment he had been "living" in. "What do you think of Ponytail's theory?" Bee whispered to me. I shrugged. It was actually pretty logical considering he didn't even remember us being in the city with him. And the fact that he said he's been living peacefully in the city. Yeah, that was a laugh. We climbed the stairs to his apartment and opened the door. It was clean but little. We sat him down in the bedroom and tried to figure out what the heck happened.

"The Dai Li must've sent Jet to mislead us and that janitor was part of their plan too!" Bee stiffened by my side. I knew what she was thinking. I was thinking it too. Not everything has to do with you guys. Bee wasn't exactly in love with Katara, so to speak. "I bet they have Appa here in the city! Maybe he's in the same place they took Jet! Where did they take you?" Aang said excitedl. Ok, I get the bison is important, but is that all they were worried about?  
"Nowhere! I-I don't know what you're talking about." Jet said, confused still. Aang sighed. "We need a way to jog his real memories." You don't say? I thought we were just going to leave him like this. I must have scowled or clenched my fist while they were talking sometime 'cause Bee nudged me. I uncurled my fist and forced myslef to relax a bit. "Maybe Katara should kiss him. That should bring something back." Sokka said, smirking.

"Maybe you should kiss him Sokka." Katara said, annoyed. "Hey, it was just an idea." Sokka said, putting his hands up in defense. "A bad one." Ah, so the kid had fallen for Watergirl. "OOOHHHH! Wait, I've got it!" Sokka said excitedly. He reached into a hole in the mattress and pulled out a piece of hay. He ran back to Jet and shoved in his mouth. I held back a snort. Bee snickered quietly."I don't think it's working." Jet said. He spit the hay out. "Try to think of something that triggers your emotions." Toph said, breaking out of her silence. "The Fire ation! Remember what they did to your family!" Bee said, leaning forward. Jet closed his eyes and tried. He started sweating and opened his eyes, panicked and panting. "No! It's too painful." He hung his head. "Maybe this will help." Katara said gently. She bended water around her hands and it started to glow. She placed her hands on Jet's head. Bee gripped my arm. I looked down. She was upset.  
I bent down and pulled her to my chest. "I"ll tell you later." She whispered into my chest. I nodded. Jet opened his eyes. "They took me to a headquearters underwater. Like a lake."

"Wait, remember what Joo Dee said? She said she went on a vacation to Lake Laogai!" Sokka said. Jet stood up. "That's it! Lake Laogai." We all agreed to go to Lake Laogai early the next morning since it was a long walk. We all stayed at mine and Bee's apartment since it was closest to the outskirts of the city so we could slip out quickly and unnoticed. I sighed and tried to sleep in the living room since I had given up my bed. Bee had given hers up too and now Sokka, Toph, Bee, and I were crammed into the living room. I stood up and made some tea to see if it would help. I heard the door close and whirled around. Maybe it was Sokka or someone going for someone fresh air. I shrugged.

-Bee's POV-

I sneaked outside while Longshot wasn't looking. I mean, I love the guy, but I still need time to myself. I climbed the stairs to the top apartment then climbed to the roof. I sat and looked out over the city. Stars winked down at me and lights from restaurants and other places seemed to laugh with the stars. I wrapped my arms around myself to try and stay warm. It was unusually chilly. I just sat there, alone with my thoughts. After a few mintes, a blanket draped my shoulders. Surprised,  
I turned to see who it was. Sokka stood there, a sheepish look on his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." I shook my head. "It's fine." He sat down next to me. We sat there for a moment before he broke the silence. "It's beautiful out here."  
I smiled. "I used to climb on the roof all the time when I was a kid. Used to bring up a whole basket full of food, a teapot, and books. I would try to name all the constellations and see if I vcould make some of my own. Sometimes my dad would come up with me." I said softly. Sokka turned to me. "Can you show me some of them? The constellations I mean." He asked. I looked in the sky trying to think of one from the faded memories of my childhood. I finally pointed at one.

"There. See that one? That's Kojishi." I said. "It means kid lion." Sokka followed to where my finger pointed. "Ko-ji-shi?" he asked, trying to pronounce it. I nodded. "And that one? Over there? That's Hakuchou. The swan. There was a legend of a girl who got put under a spell by a sorcerer where she was a swan during the day and a human by night, but only if there was a moon. The prince, who loved her, always tried to find her. One day, he went hunting and saw this magnificnt swan, so he followed it. It was near dark, but he followed it anyway. He got to this lake and the swan landed in the middle of it. The moon shone on her and she became human again. The prince was overjoyed because he had finally found her. But the only way to break the spell was to proclaim his love to her. The next night there was a ball, so they planned to do it then. The sorcerer overheard them though and threw the girl in prison and made his sister look just like her. His sister went to the ball and the prince proclaimed his love to the sister instead. The sister turned back into her true self when he said that, so the prince knew. He fought the sorcerer and won and freed the girl. Their love was so strong it would last forever and even the stars knew it. So they mad the prince and the girl into a constellation so they would never be apart."

Sokka whistled. "That sure is something." I nodded. We talked for a while longer before I heard footsteps whirling around, I saw Longshot. He had a hurt look on his face. "Oh, hi Longshot." Sokka said. "I'm just gonna go inside. Thanks for the story, Bee."  
Sokka said awkwardly, backing up. "Yeah, I better get inside too, we have a long walk ahead of us." I said, walking to the edge and climbing down. I went inside and laid down in my spot. After a minute, I heard the door open and Longshot come inside.  
He laid down next to me but didn't pull me to him like he usually did. In fact, he got as far away as he could. Great. My best friend was mad at me, my other best friend was brainwashed, and I as in the middle of a strange city. Fresh starts aren't as easy as they seem.

A/N; I was going to write more, but I have a bit of writer's block. For all those who know, RIP Ray Cusick, you created a true legend and you yourself were one. Got a track meet tomorrow wish me luck dearies. Review because you love me? :)  



	28. Chapter 28

A/N: Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a while but: NEW CHAPTER! WHOOOO! and I got over 2000 views on this story! Thanks to all of you who have read and are still reading! :) So excited for my birthday it's only 15 days away! :) onto the chapter dearies!

We started the walk to Lake Laogai at dawn and got there a little after noon. We stopped for a quick lunch break before walking to the lake. "So where's this secret headquarters?" Sokka asked, impatient. "Under the water, I think." Jet replied. Toph pointed to our right.  
"here's a tunnel over there." She whistled and walked over to where she had pointed. She jumped and earthbended the tunnel up. I guess that made sense considering the Dai Li were earthbenders. She earthbended the rock away and we climbed down the ladder going down to the floor. We came to a set of stairs and quickly ran down them. We stopped at the end and Jet stuck his head out to make sure the coast was clear. He gave us a thumbs up and we crept down the hall. A door was open and we peeked through as we passed. A whole group of women were standing, facing the door. A man was in front, facing them. "I"m Joo Dee, welcome to Ba Sing Se." He said. The women all repeated after him. "I'm Joo Dee, welcome to Ba Sing Se." Creepy. We kept walking and I could still hear the dull drone of the man talking and his brainwashed little zombies repeating.

"I think there might be a cell big enough to hold Appa up ahead. I think it's through here!" Jet said, turning to a large door. Jet opened the door to a dark, huge room. We crept in slowly. The door slammed shut behind us. We looked around, bewildered, before the lights came on. We looked up to see Dai Li gents hanging on to the stalagmites. "Now that's something different." Sokka remarked. No kidding.. "You've made yourselves enemies of the state." A voice boomed above us. Long Feng. He spoke to the Dai Li agents.  
"Take them into custody." The Dai Li dropped down from the ceiling and surrounded us. I narrowed my eyes and gripped my katana and my sword. A Dai Li agent came towards me. I swung my blade and he effortlessly dodged it but he didn't see the katana heading towards his arm.  
turned and fought off the next agent coming towards me. I had forgotten about this. The rush of fighting. Adrenaline pumping through my veins. I saw Jet and Aang leave in my peripheral vision to go after Long Feng. Before long, we had finished of the Dai Li. We were panting,  
worn out. "They went this way!" I shouted. We went after Jet and Aang before turning to door that Toph earthbended open. We all stood there in shock for a momnt taking in the scene. Jet was on the ground and Aang was kneeling next to him. All of us ran towards Jet. No. No, no, no, no, NO! This can't be happening! Katara bended water out of her canteen and it started to glow. She was going to heal him. Please, please, please let it work. I leaned into Longshot for support. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Katara looked up at us.

"This isn't good." She said, her eyes full of sadness. "You guys go and find Appa. We'll take care of Jet." I said, taking a step forward. "We're not going to leave you!" Katara said, standing. The others nodded in agreement. I opened my mouth to respond, but I didn't have to.  
"There's not time. Just go. We'll take care of him. He's our leader." Longshot said. The others looked at him in surprise, but I just knelt by Jet, holding his hand. "Don't worry Katara. I'll be fine." Jet confirmed, smiling weakly. Katara gave him one last long look before getting up and leaving with the rest. I heard Toph from across the room. "He's lying." I started to sob as the dor closed softly. Longshot took up his bow and nocked an arrow. He aimed at the door. We waited for a little like that; Me crying holding Jet's hand and his head in my lap,  
Jet barely breathing, and Longshot being the silent gaurdian. Finally, I turned to Longshot. "Longsht, we need to get help." He nodded and lowered his bow. We contemplated how to get him out before settling on just carrying him out. I grabbed hi shoulders, careful not to hurt his stomach. Jet groaned and stirred before falling back into unconsciousness. Longshot grasped his ankles and we started out of the room. We wandered around before finally seeing where we had come in. This was the tricky part. I started up the ladder backwards, still holding Jet's shoulders, hauling him up to the surface. Longshot followed, pushing Jet's feet up. We finally got up and collapsed, panting. "I don't know how much farther I can do this." I said to Longshot. I turned to the setting sun and saw the far off figure off the Avatar's bison. I smiled a little. At least part of this expedition was successful. I turned back to Jet and Longshot. "We can probably make it to the nearest town in about an hour." He nodded and we picked up our broken leader. We would make it.

About and hour and a half later, we practically collapsed, sweating and gasping for breath in front of a small village. We went to look for a place to stay. A small, abandoned house was the best we could find under the circumstances. Luckily, whoever had abondoned it had left a sleeping pallet and a blanket. We laid Jet on the sleeping pallet and Longshot gave me the blanket. I curled up in corner. Sleep cam quickly. It was a dreamless sleep. I woke to darkness. It was about 5 in the morning by the look of it. Longshot was gone. Puzzled, I looked everywhere, but didn't find him. A small note on the door caught my attention. " Going to Ba Sing Se for help. Will be back soon. -LS" I sighed. Well, spirits knew we needed the help. The question was, who was he asking?

-Longshot's POV-

I made it to Ba Sing Se at about 9 that morning. I got inside and ran to the only person's house I knew who could help. I knocked on the door. Mamoru answered the door. "I need your help."

A/N; DUN DUN DUN! What is Jet's fate? Who knows? I don't even know yet! :) But I guess we'll find out soon enough, eh? I wish I could update more frequently, but I have track practice after school so... :/ I'll try though! 


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: Guys, I am soo sorry for the wait! o.o like you have no idea. I feel awful. But it's up! New chapter! Go on, read. Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I do, however, own Mamoru, Hikari, Kentai/Chan, Hiroko, and non canon happenings.

Mamoru and I sprinted back to the village as fast as possible. We finally made it panting and dripping sweat. I led Mamoru to the house and opened the door to Smellerbee holding Jet's head in her lap. She was murmuring softly to him and stroking his hair. Mamoru pushed past me and went to look at Jet. He murmred something to Bee and she nodded and stood up. She came over to me and I drew her into my arms. Silent tears painted her face and she let out the occasional muffled sob. We eventually sat down when we saw that Mamoru wasn't going to be up for a while. Bee sat in my lap while i sang softly to her, swaying bacl and forth. In afew minutes, she was fast asleep. I watched Mamoru anxiously, looking for any sign of hope on his face. Every now and then, hope would flicker in his eyes and he would brighten a bit but a few moments later, the hope would be blown out like a candle in the wind and his shoulders would resume their slumped postition. For how long this went on, I don't know. Golden morning light was leaking through the old tattered curtains when finally Mamoru let out a weary sigh and stood up, stretching. Bee had woken up and we looked on his face, trying to read his thoughts, like a child trying to guess in a game. he turned and looked at us, his expression grim. "If we were in Ba Sing Se at the hospital, I might have been able to do more and save him completely." He said sadly. Bee buried her face in her hands, trying to stope the tears that were inevitable. I tightened my grip on her. "You only have a few minutes. I'm sorry." Mamoru said before walking out, leaving us alone with our dying leader. Bee crawled over to him and I followed. Jet opened his eyes and smiled halfheartedly at us, a far cry from his usual cocky smirk. "Hey, Jet." Bee said sadly.

"Hey Smellerbee." He said before a coughing fit overtook him. "I'm not going to make it am I?" he said mournfully, looking at us for answers. Me and Bee exchanged a quick glance before I spoke. "Nah, you're gonna be just fine." I said. He smiled sadly and chuckled a bit. "I fell kind of tired guys. I think I'm gonna go to sleep. Thanks for everything though. The Freedom Fighters were pretty great huh?" He said before closing his eyes and drifting off into a sleep we knew he wasn't going to wake up from. "We should be thanking you." Bee whispered. She pressed a soft kiss to his forehead and leaned back on her heels. Tears tracked over her cheeks freely now. "Goodbye Jet." I whispered before getting up. I bowed towards him and left the room. Mamoru was standing outisde, leaning against a wall. His fingers were pressed onto his forehea and he was muttering under his breath. Bee came out a few minutes later. "I want to bury him." She said. I nodded, understanding. It wasn't the fact we wanted to get rid off the body, it was honoring him. Jet, with all his stupid comments and his smirk and his hook swords and his mismatched armor. His fight. His determination never to give in. He fought to the very end. Something inside of me twisted. It was the same feeling as when the Fire Nation burned down my village. It hurt.

Mamoru helped us bury him. We found a flower on the way there and Bee picked it. She put it on the grave when it was finished. I picked up the biggest rock I could find and carved into it with Bee's dagger: "Jet. Brother. Son. Freedom Fighter." I set it next to Bee's flower. All the while, our conversation from Lake Laogai was floating in my head. "I'll be fine." "He's lying." I turned my head away and Bee clung to me for support. I kissed her head and stroked her hair. "It's ok Mei Mei. It's ok." "I just want to go home Longshot." She whispered."I know Bee. Me too." I whispered back. Life had a way of turning on us. Mushi's words to us echoed in my head. "Sometimes, life is like a dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving, you'll come to a better place." I held on to Bee. We would have to just keep moving. We could do it. Together or not at all.

A/n: Sorry that it's not long at all and it's not very good, but I felt bad for having y'all wait for so long so I whipped up a new chapter right fast so y'all wouldn't try to hunt me down... Anyways, TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! YAY! :) I promise I'll write another chapter soon. Mei Mei means little sister.I'm pretty sure. I don't know entirely, I got it off of Firefly (which is an EPIC show, just like Doctor who ^_^) Anyways, review please! It's like a little present whenever I read them :)


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Hey guys, sorry I haven't been updated in a while. *nervous laugh* hehehehe *hides from readers throwing random stuff at me*  
I'm really sorry! Geez, a girl doesn't update in over a week, all the readers hate her... It's not my fault I've had a really bad case of writer's block and no time at all!  
I am super sorry guys though! Please accept this humble chapter as a peace offering. :|

Longshot and I trudged back to Ba Sing Se the nest day. Mamoru had gone ahead of us and was already in the city. A heavy silence was hovering over us the whole walk back. We finally got back to Ba Sing Se when the sun was setting. We weaved through a crowd that had gathered on the side of te street. We didn't try to see over everyone's heads to find out what was going on. We went straight back to our apartment, exhausted. Longshot drew a basin of water and washed away my war paint. I let him. We went to the room and changed into some sleeping clothes. Longshot laid down and I stood there, the unasked question out in the air. He gave me an answer and I laid next to him. I buried my head into his shirt finding comfort in the smell of the forest that lingered. We fell asleep like that. I woke up when it was still dark. The full moon put a square of silver on the wooden floor. I climbed out of bed and grabbed one of the extra blankets.  
I wrapped it around me and walked out of the apartment. I climbed up to roof and sat on the edge.

The city was quiet, save a few black market dealers meeting when everybody was asleep and they few that weren't were too drunk to care. I shivered against the cold wind wrapping its tendrils around my shoulders and wrapped the blanket tighter around me. I pulled my dagger out of its sheath. The blade glinted in the moonlight and its sharp end broke throught the skin in my palm when I tested it. The red leather strin wrapped around the handle was worn from its many years of use. The handle itself seemed to have molded to my grip. The blade had knicks and scratches from its experience in battles. I smiled a bit. My father had given me the dagger when I was 7. He would take me out to the woods and we would practice when he had time after his long work hours.

I sighed and my smile faded. He was gone now. Just like Jet. The rest of the group was scattered all over the Earth Kingdom. It was just me and Longshot now. We were the only thing each other had. The sun was beginning to climb over the horizon when I finally went back inside. I was starting a pot of tea when Longshot walked into the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow. (You're up early.) I shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Besides we need to decide if we're staying or leaving." Longshot nodded and sat down in the chair across from me. I handed him a cup of tea and sat down myself. We talked and decided to stay. We got dressed and went out the door to go to our jobs. Well, at least Longshot was. I was quitting mine and finding a new one. I hated my job. I walked into the restaurant and broke the news to my boss. He was understanding and even gave me a last pay and wished me luck on finding a new one. I walked out and was shocked to see a Fire Nation soldier heading towards the restaurant. I looked around.

They were everywhere! I turned in a circle. There was one getting fruit from a merchant. There were two laughing. What was going on?! I ran to the bakery to find it full o Fire Nation soldiers. I avoided all of them and went up to the front. Hiroko was writing down the order of a citizen. She went to give it to Longshot and turned back to the counter. Her eyes landed on me and she smiled. "Hi Smellerbee. Did you need Longshot?" I looked at her. "I actually need someone just to tell me what's going on."  
I said in a low voice. She laughed. "Yes of course. Come in the back and I'll show you the position we have open." I grinned. "Thanks." We went to the back before she turned around and leaned in. "We can't talk too long." I nodded and crossed my arms. "So what's going on?" I asked. Hiroko looked at me and sighed.

"The Avatar is dead. Fire Nation came in while you two were gone. Ba Sing Se has fallen." she said. I stood there in shock. How could this be happening. I felt dizzy.  
We walked back to the front. I faked a smile. "Thanks for the offer but I think I'm going to try to get a job at the tea shop." Hiroko forced a grin on her face."Ok. If that doesn't work out, you know where to go." I nodded and walked out. Ba Sing Se, the place to get AWAY from the Fire Nation and start over, was now crawling with Fire Nation soldiers. I ran a hand over my face. Where could we go now? The Fire Nation had taken our home and the Dai Li had taken our leader. There was practically nothing now. I sighed. Now what?

A/N: I know, I know. It's not that good. I'm sorry. I'm writing this at like 11:30 so it's all jumbled up. Quick question, if I wrote a modern AU fanfiction that involved the Freedom Fighters, would y'all read it? That is all. Review please!  



	31. Chapter 31

A/N: Ok, I'm making another chapter really soon as another peace offering. I think this might be the last chapter unless something happens.. If not then it's probably going to be the next one. I will be very sad when this ends, I've had so much fun writing this!  
Anyways, onto the next chapter!

I rubbed my eyes and slid the soiled apron over my head. My shift had gone later than normal due to the new larger population. I nodded to Hiroko on my way out the door as she counted the money. She nodded back wearily and went back to the money. I pulled the brim of my hat over my face as I walked to the marketplace. We had done a pretty good job of not revealing ourselves as Freedom Fighters, but I wasn't taking any chances. The trade with merchents was silent consisting only of the jingling of coins and food falling into my bag. I was getting some fruit when I overheard some of the soldiers talking about rumors that the Avatar was alive. "I've heard some people saying that the Avatar is still alive." One soldier said. The soldier next to him scoffed. "False rumors spread only to give a flicker of hope. There's not a chance that the Avatar is alive." One of the soldiers nudged the one that had just been talking and he lowered his voice. I stopped pretending to examine the mango in front of me and walked off. I trekked home, deep in thought. I got to the apartment and tossed the bag of food on the table. I flopped into one of the chairs and sighed, rubbing a hand over my face again. I leaned my head back. I'd just close my eyes for a few minutes.

I woke with a start to the apartment doorclosing. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I saw Bee coming in. She slumped in a chair and I moved to light the candle in the middle of the table. She winced. "Sorry Longshot. Didn't mean to wake you up." I shrugged.  
(I wasn't supposed to be asleep anyways.) I lit the rest of the candles around the room and grabbed my bag of food. I pulled out an apple and offered it to Bee. She held up her hand. "Not hungry." I was. I bit a chunk of the apple off and chewed. I swallowed and ripped another chunk out of the ripe fruit. ( So how did job hunting go?) I asked. Bee sighed and massged the bridge of her nose. "Not the best. The tea shop position was taken and the only other job I could find was sweeping up at a sake bar. I frowned. (Lovely.)  
Bee snorted. "You can say that again. I'm going out in the morning again and if I can't find anything I'll take the job." She stood and stretched. "Night." (Goodnight.) I finished my apple and threw the core out of the window then blew out all the candles. Walking into the bedroom, I pulled off my shirt and climbed into the bottom bunk. I pulled the blanket up to my chest and put my arms behind my head. I drifted off without a problem but I had weird dreams. I couldn't remember all of them in the morning but what I did remember sacred me. Bee being swallowed up by darkness, the last look I saw on my mother's face, Me and Bee falling into a never ending pit. I woke up drenched in a cold sweat. I sat up and caught my breath. I wiped myself down with a wet towel and pulled on a clean shirt.

I walked into the kitchen and pulled a piece of bread out of my bag. Bee must've already left. I shrugged on my shawl and pulled my hat on and walked down to the bakery. The day was uneventful, thankfully. I was about to walk out of the door when Hiroko called me. She held out a small bag. I opened it to find it full of coins. Confused, I looked at her questioningly. She smiled wearily. "Consider it a little gift from me. What with all your hard work and all." I smiled gratefully and walked out the door. A hand grabbed my forearm when I walked out. I was pulled into the dark alley. My captor put a hand over my mouth. "Listen and listen good. I don't have much time. We've been watching you and your friend. We think you would make a good addition to our little... group. We're trying to get rid of the soldiers in town, but we need everyone we can get." A piece of paper was slipped into my hand. "Come to this adress at the specific time and date if you're in." And with that, the mysterious figure was gone. I walked out of the alley and looked either way down the street to see if I could get a glimpse of who had grabbed me but the streets were eerily empty. I pulled my hat down and started back to the apartment. Bee wasn't there when I got back so I put a kettle of tea on and unfolded the scarp of paper. "8:30 pm July 25th Guh Jun Tea Shop". I folded the piece of paper and shoved it back into my pocket. Bee would be home any minute, I would talk to her then. The kettle whistled and I pulled it off the fire. I made the tea and poured myself a cup. I sat down again when Bee opened the door. She slipped into the apartment quietly and walked over to the kettle of tea to pour herslef acup. When she sat down at the table, I slid the piece of paper over to her. She raised an eyebrow and opened it. She read over the small flyer quickly and looked at me questioningly.

I looked back at her, sipping my tea. "Where did you get this?" Bee asked. (Got pulled into an alley and they gave it to me.) Bee reached into her pocket slowly and pulled out a piece of paper similiar to the one I had. I opened it to read the same thing that was on my piece. She leaned back in her chair. "So are we gonna go?" Bee asked, sipping her own tea. I shrugged. (Why not?) Lucky for us, we didn't have to wait very long. The meeting was in two days. We talked for a while then went to sleep. The rom was eerily dark from no moon.  
I couldn't sleep. A light breeze came through the window, relieving our tiny room of some of the stifling heat. I stared at the bottom of the top bunk. Bee's soft and steady breathing reached my ears and comforted me a little. Pretty soon I dozed off.

The next day was mundane. I waited in anticipation for the meeting. When my shift finally ended the day of the mmeting i threw off my apron and ran out the door. Bee wasn't off for another half hour so I went to the apartment. I changed out of my dirty clothes and dumped some water on me as a makeshift shower. I changed into some clean clothes and made a meager supper out of the rest of the food I had bought. Bee came home and followed my lead. We ate quickly and left for the tea shop. We got there right on time. People would go in a few at a time as not to arouse suspicion. Me and Bee walked in with an older couple. We stayed in the back and waited for the meeting to start. A boy my age stood up on the small platform that had been set up and started to talk. "Thanks all for coming out. We've all been hurt by the Fire Nation, whethe it was from them burning our villages or taking the people we loved from us or hurting us oursleves physically or mentally. Are we going to let them take our fresh start too?!" A few people in the crowd nodded and cheered. The boy went on. "I want to propose a plan of attack. We can't do much apart but we can do a lot of damage together." A few people were shaking their heads and a couple started leaving. "If you want to help, please meet me afterwards in the back of the shop so we can talk." The boy climbed down and strted heading towards where me and Bee were standing. We moved out of the way and the boy sat down at one of the tables with a sheet of paper. We waited for the rest of the people to talk to the boy before we stepped up to the table. The boy grinned. "I see we have some young freedom fighters!" Bee tensed by my side. I gave her a warning touch of the hand. This boy didn't know. She relaxed a little. The boy looked at us. "Names and special abilities?" he asked before looking down at his paper, ready to write. Bee pointed to herself. "The name's Smellerbee and I'm good with daggers." She jabbed her thumb in the direction of me. "This here's Longshot. He's good with a bow, just like his name says." The boy nodded and finished writing on his paper. He gave us a crumpled piece of paper. "This is for when we're fighting. Bring your own weapons.  
If you don't show up, don't freak. We'll understand." I nodded and we started our walk back home. When we got home, we discussed the fight at the table. "It's a little risky." Bee said, uncertain. (Everything's risky.) Bee nodded. In the end, we were going to fight for our freedom as cliche as it sounded. But it was a true cliche.

We spent the next couple of days getting ready for the battle but there never was one. The Avatar had somehow miraculously survived and defeated Fire Lord Ozai. Apparently Zuko had "changed his ways" and became the new and better Fire Lord.  
The world was finally at peace again. the dream of freedom had finally become a real and tangible thing. And it was wonderful.

A/N: WAHHHHHH! I can't belieave I finished this :( I want to thank sunflower13 for A) being such a BRILLIANT reader B) Giving me the idea for the uprising attempt and C) sticking with me this whole story! Thank you so much!  
Another thank you to GodsKeybladeWarrior! Thanks for the ideas and help cuz! :) An thank ALL of y'all for actually reading my story! I started out with a goal of 100 views and ended up with a gift over 2,667! Thanks so much! If y'all want, I could write an epilogue! If you want one review or PM me! So don't quit on me juuust yet :) Wow this has been a great journey... Thanks for reading guys! And don't forget to check my profile for any new stories I'll post :)


	32. Epilouge

A/N: I didn't get a lot of reviews or anything but the story felt unfinished. So here's a little epilogue that wraps up my story. I'm ignoring their canon appearance in the Promise so.  
Hop y'all enjoy! :)

I paced outside the apartment. Bee had already gone inside but I had to think. It had been 9 months since the Avatar had defeated Fire Lord Ozai. We were still living in Ba Sing Se with a better apartment and promoted positions in our jobs. Life was actually going pretty good for us as of late. It was Bee's birthday tomorrow and I had no idea what to get her. Dresses and other frilly things most girls like was obviously out of the question. She already had daggers and katanas. I kept pacing. Maybe I'd think of something tomorrow at the bakery. Wait! That was it!  
I could get all our friends together and get a cake! I grinned. This was gonna be great. I went back inside the apartment, already planning for the party. Bee looked at me, eyebrow raised. "What are you so rainbows and sunshine about?" She said, the ghost of a smile on her face. I grinned even bigger, if that was possible. (Oh nothing.) Bee eyed me with fake suspiciousness.

"I'll get it out of you sooner or later." she said with a smirk on her face. I smirked back. (Not likely.) Bee smiled. "Is that a challenge?" (Perhaps.) I said leaning against the wall. Bee grinned.  
"Challenge accepted." she said mischeviously. And with that she disappeared round the corner. I looked around confused before I felt a sharp, tickling pain on either side. I whirled around to see Bee giggling. (Oh, so that's how you want to play it.) I said, smiling. I grabbed her and started tickling her. Bee shrieked and tried to get away, laughing all the while. I held her tighter letting a laugh escape my lips as well. Finally I stopped and Bee went limp in my arms gasping for breath, tears streaming down her cheeks from laughing so hard. "That was dirty." I shrugged. (Maybe.)  
I let her out of my arms and she stood straight, sighing. She turned towards me smiling. "I'll get you for that." I grinned back at her. (We'll see.)

After a moment or two of just goofy smiling at each other, we went to bed. Bee crawled into my bunk after me into my waiting arms. I kissed the top of her head. (Ready to be 14?) Bee grinned. "Am I ever." She made a face after this. "In a few years I'll be of marrying age." This was followed by a shudder. I chuckled. Inside, I was dreading it too. I couldn't stand the thought of a bunch of guys after my Bee.  
She had let her hair grow out and now it was well past her shoulders. It would be at her waist by the time summer got here. Bee had shed her war paint and heavy eyeliner. She kept the headband to cover the ugly burn scar. She no longer wore her armor and her smile was more frequent now, not something you almost had to scare out of her. Smellerbee was turning into a woman. She showed signs of losing her childness I guess one could call it. Her figure had become more curved and her face was losing any traces of baby fat, letting her high cheekbones become more prominent. She was, in a word, beautiful. "Hello, earth to Longshot?" Bee said now, waving a hand in front of my face. Must've spaced out. She grinned. "What were you thinking about that you had to ignore your best friend?" My heart sunk a bit in the way she said that.

I kept forgetting we were still just "best friends". Nothing had changed. I really wanted it to. Seeing my expression, Bee sobered. "Hey, what's wrong?" (It's nothing.) I waved her off. (Just tired.) Bee frowned. "Well alright.." BOOM! A huge bout of thunder sounded through the air. Bee yelped and wrapped herslef tightly around me. She was terrified of thunderstorms. She buried her face in my shoulder, her shivering body wrapped around mine. I stroked her hair until it was over and she slowly untangled herself fom me. She lifted her head up to say thanks but stopped when she saw how close our faces were. I looked at her lips and back at her eyes.  
I leaned in hesitantly before Bee closed off the remaining space and our lips touched. It felt like an electric spark was running through my body. I poured everything I had kept inside of me in the last few months into that kiss. We broke away only for air. Bee blushed and stammered a little when we broke apart, making me chuckle. She blushed even harder when I did that. "So what does this mean, exactly?" she asked shyly. I thought a moment before deciding. ( It means I love you.) Bee smiled. "I guess it means I love you too." We smiled a little at each other before going to sleep. Needless to say, i had some pretty good dreams that night.

A/N: I know i's not much but it's very fluffy so perhaps that will satisfy y'all. If you guys want another one, please tell me. Well, until next time. :) ~Avatard101 


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